Marseille captain Brahim Hemdani

[crusader]

Rangers have pulled off a significant transfer coup after securing the services of Marseille captain Brahim Hemdani.

The 27-year-old Algerian, who can operate as a central defender or holding midfielder, shunned overtures from both Spain and Germany to ink a deal at Ibrox.

Real Betis and Bayer Leverkusen were also both in the hunt but, after meeting Rangers chairman David Murray and chief executive Martin Bain, Hemdani elected for a move to Glasgow.

Rangers will pay no fee for the out-of-contract Hemdani but are expected to shell out £4 million in wages over the next four years.

After finally capturing his man after an 18-month chase, Murray has spoken of his delight that he has secured another accomplished performer for Gers boss Alex McLeish.

''Alex has been after Brahim ever since watching him captain Marseille against Newcastle in a Uefa Cup tie two seasons ago,'' Murray told The Daily Record.

''We're talking about a top-quality player who is committed to the idea of playing for Rangers. ''We have had a huge fight from Bayer Leverkusen and Real Betis over the weekend but Brahim wants to be part of the club and we are delighted about that.''

[trublustuuk]

Happy days, unfortunately this is prob a cert that Soto is going back to Panithinikos, but if Real where after him he can only be a good signing

[crusader]

.......After finally capturing his man after an 18-month chase.

So not a rush buy and lets hope he does not turn out like some of Ecks summer signings, Murray and him two good signings so far.
I hope Thompson gets a chance this year and Eck does not bring in a journey man striker.

[TZI]

After finally capturing his man after an 18-month chase.

Then again he had been chasing players like Capucho for the same time

[trublustuuk]

Originally Posted by --TZI--

Then again he had been chasing players like Capucho for the same time

Don't know what the **** happened to him, just turned into a lazy ****er when he signed for us

[Cro_comrade]

Very Decent Signing there
Better than Dellas :d

[trublustuuk]

Yeah can't see Dellas coming now tbh and it's Real Bettis and not Madrid as I thought but still a decent side chasing him

[RFCno1Scotty]

FOOTBALL: COME ON LLES BLEUS

Jun 14 2005

Rangers new boy Hemdani can be as big a hit as Prso and Boumsong

Exclusive By Keith Jackson

TWELVE months ago Martin Bain helped secure the services of Dado Prso and Jean Alain Boumsong on free transfers to Ibrox.

One of them scored the goals that won the SPL title - and the quickfire £8.5million sale of the other raised the funds to make it all possible.

Yesterday, on the Cotes d'Azur, Bain completed another French freebie that Rangers believe will prove to be every bit as significant as last year's Bosman raids.

The man who captained Marseille to the 2004 UEFA Cup Final, Brahim Hemdani, finally agreed to put pen to paper on a four-year deal that will cost the club a total of £4million.

The 27-year-old French Algerian, who has also had spells at Cannes and Strasbourg, will arrive in Glasgow for the start of the new season and is expected to become a long-term linchpin in Alex McLeish's side.

In fact, the manager first told his chief executive to go after Hemdani 18 months ago - which is perhaps why Bain spoke with such delight yesterday after beating off late bids from Bayer Leverkusen and Real Betis to land his man He said: 'We believe this guy is in the same bracket as Prso and Boumsong.

'OK, he didn't play much last season but he assures us that was down to a contractual dispute with Marseille. They wanted him to sign a new deal but he had already decided to look at his options.

'The bottom line is this is a player who has played at the highest level in the Champions League and captained Marseille to the UEFA Cup Final.

'And we have managed to pick him up on a free transfer.'

Bain believes it would take around £3m to purchase Hemdani on the open market.

But he does concede both he and McLeish had to have their fingers burned by disastrous last-minute signings such as Egil Ostenstad and Emerson before coming up with a new strategy of forward planning.

He said: 'With Hemdani - as previously with Boumsong and Prso - we set ourselves a target and went after it early.

'In that regard, we have learned from previous mistakes and we are probably a bit better at these things now than we were a couple of years ago.

'We made some knee-jerk signings in 2003 and it cost us. I was new to it as was Alex to a certain extent.

'But last summer we planned ahead and it came up trumps and we believe we have pulled off another good bit of business with the capture of Brahim.

'If he was available on the transfer market today I think you would have to pay in the region of £3m for him. He wouldn't have the same residual value as Boumsong because he is a little bit older.

'But there is no doubt he is another quality player and he could play either as a defender or as a libero which gives the manager better options.'

Former France Under-21 cap Hemdani started just 11 matches for Marseille last term and was also involved in an angry training-ground bust-up with coach Philippe Troussier.

The pair almost came to blows back in April as the deposed skipper neared the end of his tether in the last weeks of his career at the Velodrome.

Even in light of all this it is understood that up until Sunday night, when Hemdani agreed to sign for Rangers, Marseille were still attempting to talk him into staying. And, with Leverkusen and Betis also in the running, Bain and chairman David Murray were left to sweat it out in sun-kissed Antibes as they awaited the answer of a player who had already made a secret trip to Glasgow to pass a medical.

It was a tense end to a chase that began on a wet winter's night on Tyneside when Hemdani captained Marseille to a UEFACupwinover NewcastleBain said: 'The manager and myself watched that game and afterwards Alex turned to me and said, 'That boy would make a great Rangers player'.

'We've been tracking him ever since so to say I'm delighted to get this deal done is something of an understatement.

'Two weeks ago I called his agent, Hamed Cisse. I told them we wanted to do business and asked if they would be prepared to come to Glasgow.

'Last Thursday I flew to France to meet them. We discussed terms and agreed a contract in principle.'

The next day chairman Murray helped turn up the heat on Hemdani. Bain said: 'On Friday we flew back to Glasgow from Cannes. David turned up at the airport to sit down with Brahim and convince him that Scotland was the best place for him to be.

'I think he began to make up his mind when he arrived in Glasgow and saw what we had been talking about. He was very impressed by Murray Park and Ibrox Stadium.

'He went through a medical and passed it with flying colours but then we had to fly back to France and I gave him the weekend to think things over.

'That's when I started to worry because I knew Leverkusen were making a major play and that Betis had also been on the phone. I know how serious Betis were because they spoke to him when I was in the same car but I don't think Brahim realised I could understand French!

'It wasn't until he called me on Sunday night to say he had made up his mind to sign for Rangers that I knew it was in the bag.

'I drove to Nice to pick him up at the airport and get his name on a four-year deal. It's fair to say we regard this as a major signing and a very good piece of business

RANGERS reckon they'll be dressed to thrill when they go on their travels in the coming season.

This is the new away kit as modelled by Ibrox striker Steven Thompson.

Manufacturers Umbro have come up with a shirt design that is reminiscent of the one favoured by the great Ajax team in the 1970s with a hint of the England international strip thrown in.

If Alex McLeish's side can get close to hitting the heights achieved by Johan Cruyff and his Dutch mates in this new oufit, Rangers supporters will rate it a smart move

[James de Bear]

This isn't a replacement for Soti and they've been trying to get him well before they even thought of buying Kyrgiakos.

Fantastic "Bosman" signing and one I knew nothing about and I preder reading about Players being signed than rumours...

[RFCno1Scotty]

Let's just put it this way if he's the standards of being next Boumsong the excellent!!

[Cro_comrade]

One of rangers best signings for a while now

[RFCno1Scotty]

Originally Posted by Cro_comrade

One of rangers best signings for a while now

agreed man agreed!!
man things are starting to head in the right direction to the dick advocaat era only this time we're doing better financially and not jus' plundering it all a mean lets face it him on a free transfer and we pay 4 million over the space of his contract, thats worth it you have to say

Lets just hope he performs amazing for us. I still reckon he'll need to gell though, but he might gell fast

[Ross420]

Strange one this as I hadnt heard anything about the deal either in the press or from the fan rumours.

Came out of the blue, so to speak, but hopefully he'll prove a good deal.

[crusader]

http://www.wldcup.com/news/2005Jun/2...ld_soccer.html

Secret agent 007 turned football agent for a day to help Rangers win the race to sign former Marseille captain Brahim Hemdani.

Sean Connery, the actor most closely identified with the role of James Bond, stepped in when Hemdani was having difficult making up his mind between a move to Scotland or to Germany with Bayer Leverkusen.

Rangers chairman David Murray organised a meeting between Connery and the 27-year-old and the world's most famous Scotsman obviously did a good job of selling his native country to the Algerian-born defender, who signed for the Scottish champions on Tuesday.

"It's true I enlisted Sean's help to sell Scotland to Brahim," Murray told the Daily Record. "Bayer Leverkusen were chasing him as well and I arranged for Sean to meet the player at Cannes Airport to help sell Scotland to him.

"Brahim then flew over and had a good look around. I am delighted to say, that after returning home to France, he then agreed to sign for the club."

Hemdani was available on a free transfer after the expiry of his contract at Marseille. He will earn a reported four million pounds if he sees out the four-year contract he has signed with Rangers.

[Ross420]

Sean Connery sealed the deal...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/funn...me/4095138.stm

[James de Bear]

Welcome back Ross420 , nice to see you posting again...

[CCgers]

He seems like a pretty decent signing, hopefully a good bosman like prso and boumsong. i find it pretty funny that sean connery was involved in persuadin him to come here

[Ross]

Hmmm, sounds like a good player the way people are talking, but I will judge when I see him in action....hope hes not another forgein flop:|