What ex Celtic and Hibs stars told Nedim Bajrami about Rangers transfer
Nedim Bajrami pushed for a permanent move to Rangers when it looked like it was just going to be a loan.
The Albanian midfielder and the Ibrox club both got their wish when he signed a long-term deal to become their latest signing on deadline day. It is always good for supporters to hear that a new signing has been desperate for the move and did everything in their power to make it happen.
But what was behind his desire to move from Italian outfit Sassuolo? Well, perhaps surprisingly, one ex-Celtic and Hibs star and another former Hibee played their part. Bajrami first played for Empoli when he moved to Italy and Liam Henderson was a there at the same time, while recent Scotland call-up Josh Doig was a teammate at Sassuolo last season.
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Bajrami sought their advice about moving to and living in Scotland as well as the football in this country.
He said: “The last five years I played in Italy. I spoke with a few players who played in Scotland like Josh and Liam. They told me good things about Scotland so I’m happy to be here. With Liam, I didn't speak a lot (about Rangers) because he played for Celtic! I spoke more with Josh. He told me, ‘You’ll love it there. Not only football, but for life’. Only the weather is a little different because here it's colder. In Italy it's sunnier! But I don't care, I'm here to love Scotland and Rangers."
The 25-year-old impressed for Albania at Euro 2024 and scored the fastest ever goal at the competition, with a great strike 23 seconds into a clash with Italy.
On that, he added: “Playing at the Euros was a nice experience. I didn't know I’d scored the fastest ever Euros goal, they told me after the game. But I was happy to break a record after 20 years. I hope it stays forever. I hope if I play on Sunday I can do best.”