Cardoso planning to form a dream team with Alves
Cardoso signs three-year deal
FABIO CARDOSO yesterday sealed his £1.5million switch to Rangers and vowed to form a partnership with Bruno Alves that will help guide the Ibrox side to the Europa League group stage.
Sportsmail exclusively revealed last month that the 23-year-old Vitoria Setubal player was a key target for Rangers boss Pedro Caixinha.
Yesterday the 6ft 1in Portuguese centre-half became the club’s fourth summer signing, putting pen to paper on a three-year deal.
He follows in the footsteps of former Aberdeen captain Ryan Jack, Benfica winger Dalcio and fellow defender Alves.
Further summer arrivals could follow next week, with a £750,000 deal agreed for Pumas striker Eduardo Herrera, while a £2.5m
move for fellow Mexican and Chivas Guadalajara midfielder Carlos Pena was agreed last week. Both transfers are dependant on work permits which could be tied up by Monday.
Meanwhile, Benfica winger Daniel Candeias could become another Portuguese recruit after admitting he was keen to speak with Caixinha, although a link with Santos Laguna’s Mexican defender Javier Abella was quickly dismissed by senior Ibrox sources.
After clinching his move yesterday, Cardoso was excited by the chance to team up with Alves, a respected member of the Portugal squad that won Euro 2016 in France last summer.
The young defender now hopes the pair can help Rangers reach the Europa League group stages as Ibrox welcomes continental football for the first time since 2011.
‘European football is important and we will do our best to qualify for the Europa League,’ Cardoso said. ‘Bruno Alves is an amazing player, one of the best defenders in my country and I will learn a lot from playing with him.
‘I met the manager, Caixinha, for the first time in the airport on the way here and I spoke to him a lot. I like him and I think he’s the right person to put Rangers where they belong.
‘For me, this is the best club in Scotland and I will do my best to make history here. A club as big as Rangers has to win.’
Cardoso insists the physicality of Scottish football won’t take him by surprise as it has long been his ‘dream’ to try British football. He also tipped Dalcio to dazzle on his season-long loan from Benfica.
‘I know it is more physical here,’ Cardoso told RangersTV. ‘The players are strong but that’s good. It is a big step for me but I feel it’s the right time to move from Portugal to Scotland.
‘It has always been a dream to play in the UK. Here, the people are so passionate about their football. I think it’s the best place to play football and I will do my best.
‘It’s a great challenge. I will have to adapt to a new country, a new way of living, but I think I am going to be successful.
‘To play here is a dream come true.
‘Rangers is the biggest and most successful club in Scotland. It is the club with the most trophies in the world. I can’t wait to play at Ibrox. The stadium is amazing. It’s massive, it has history. I can’t wait.
‘I also think Dalcio is going to surprise the supporters. He is a very young player but he is very good and very fast. He’s good at scoring goals and I am sure he will bring happiness to the supporters.’
Caixinha praised the potential of Under-20s international Cardoso — who made the step up to top flight Vitoria Setubal last summer after four years with Benfica’s B team.
The Ibrox boss has faith that playing alongside Alves will see Cardoso join his team-mate in the full Portugal national team.
‘Fabio is a player who everyone describes as having big potential to be one of the centre-halves of the future with the Portuguese national team,’ Caixinha said. ‘We believe in him. He can perform on the right or on the left, which is good in a centre-half.
‘Fabio is 23, so having an experienced player around like Alves is good. He is a player whose main characteristic is leadership, so Fabio will feel comfortable and grow and learn from him.’
Meanwhile, Candeias will be allowed to leave Benfica — having been farmed out on loan since signing in 2014 — and Rangers have held talks over a permanent deal.
‘It’s always good to have your name linked to big clubs,’ he told Portuguese media. ‘I know the manager well, we have worked together at Nacional, and if there’s interest we’ll talk.’