Foderingham focused on Champions League

WES FODERINGHAM, the new Rangers goalkeeper, has revealed he turned down approaches from English Championship clubs to pursue his ambition of playing Champions League football with Mark Warburton’s side.

Foderingham has signed a three-year contract to join defenders Danny Wilson and Rob Kiernan as the first acquisitions made by Warburton. The former England youth internationalist was a free agent after leaving Swindon Town at the end of last season.

Rangers are preparing for their second shot at the Championship title next term but the 24-year-old has higher ambitions than that. “The English Championship is a good league if you want to be an English Championship player,” he said. “I want to play higher than that. The best way to do that is at Rangers.

“If I joined another Championship side in England, I wouldn’t have the chance to play in the Champions League in a couple of years. This gives me the best opportunity and there is no English Championship club with the stature of Rangers, so it was a first choice.

“Scottish football has come on over the years. Rangers is a massive club and I was very pleased when I heard of the interest and pleased when I signed.”

Warburton can now turn his attentions to further up the pitch. John Eustace, 35, the former Derby County midfielder, will train with Rangers for the next four weeks as Warburton assesses his fitness with a view to a 12-month deal.

The Rangers manager has also started reshaping his backroom staff at Murray Park with Gordon Durie and Jim Henry leaving the club. Durie worked in the youth department before being part of Stuart McCall’s staff last season. Henry was appointed head of athletic performance in the summer of 2013.