Juan Manuel Ortiz In Signing Talks

[Broxi1872 183]

NACHO NOVO reckons fellow Spaniard Juan Manuel Ortiz will never have experienced anything like the passion of the Rangers support - even though he's played in front of 100,000 fans at the Nou Camp and Bernabeu.

Former Ibrox hero Novo was delighted to learn his countryman has become Ally McCoist's first capture as Rangers manager and believes Ortiz will light up the SPL.

And he insisted the Scottish champions will give his countryman the best experience of his football career.

Novo, now with Sporting Gijon in La Liga, played and scored in a 1-1 draw against Ortiz's Almeria last term and feels the 29-year-old will love every minute of life in Glasgow.

He said: "Ortiz is leaving one of the biggest leagues in the world to come to Scotland but I think this is a step up for him because he is joining one of the biggest clubs in the world.

"Almeria spent four years in La Liga before going down at the end of the season but that was still a great achievement because it really is a small club.

"They would have loved playing against clubs like Barcelona and Real Madrid in front of crowds of nearly 100,000 but most of those fans would have been against them.

"Now Ortiz will be playing at Ibrox in front of 50,000 Rangers fans and he is going to experience an atmosphere like nothing else. When you have that many fans supporting you it makes you a better player and he is already good to start with."

McCoist is likely to hand Ortiz a role on the right side of midfield but many of his 25 games for Almeria last season were played at right-back and left-back.

Novo said: "He is quick and versatile. He always wants to get forward but in the match I played against Almeria, Ortiz was playing left-back and I was directly up against him on the right wing.

"I scored our goal and played well against him. But I know he is a very good player and this is probably the best time for Ortiz to be trying something new.

"He has spent all his career in Spain with some great clubs like Atletico Madrid and Osasuna but it is always exciting to go to another country and experience a different kind of football and a different culture.

"I loved my time in Scotland with Raith, Dundee and Rangers - playing for the Rangers supporters is something I will never forget and I will always love the club.

"I know Carlos Cuellar felt the same way when he was at Rangers. We spent a lot of time together and I know he would like to come back to the club.

"Now another Spaniard is there and I am sure Juanma will grow to love the club the way I did.

"Everyone looks after you so well and with the support behind him he can do great things."

[Raligt 2,541]

So is that him signed Nacho?

[J...R 20]

The way people are talking about this, I think its virtualy wrapped up

[the goal machine 7,801]

Ortiz, who is also known as Juanma, has moved from La Liga outfit Almeria to Glasgow two years after the Gers first showed an interest in his services and Sky Sports Spanish football expert Terry Gibson reckons the versatile Spaniard will prove worth the wait.

“He is very skilful, he can play both right and left side of midfield. I have seen him play as a second striker and he has been used in both full-back positions as well,” Gibson told SportTimes.

“I think right side of midfield is his favoured position. He is a hard working player, he likes to cut inside and he is equally adept with both feet.

“He doesn’t have outstanding pace, he is pretty quick but Rangers fans shouldn’t expect a flying machine. He is a very technically gifted player and very hard-working, he will do his bit defensively. I think he will prove to be a really good signing. He is more of a provider than a goal scorer.

“The perception of Spanish players is that they are all about flair and technical ability but Ortiz puts in a shift as well.”

After been priced out of swoops for Conway and Danns and with moves for Wallace and Goodwillie still on the backburner, McCoist has been forced to go further afield to land his first signing of the summer.

But having seen Iberian talents at close quarters, Gibson is pleased to see the Gers boss casting his net far and wide.

Juanma has arrived in Glasgow at a fraction of the cost of players from Britain, with the former Atletico Madrid youth star set to prove a bargain buy for McCoist.

Gibson said: “I wish more people would look in Spain for players. If you avoid the Barcelonas and Madrids, there are a lot of good players at the smaller clubs that provide value for money. I am sure Rangers have got a bit of a bargain in Ortiz.

“If any club in Britain was to do their homework, they could find some really good players who would not cost a fortune in transfer fees or wages.

“It is a market that people should look to and I am glad to see Rangers dabbling in the Spanish market.

“They have obviously done their homework and I think they have picked up a really good player.”

Juanma may have been unable to help Almeria avoid relegation from arguably the best league in the world, but he has impressed amongst the heavyweights of European football.

The Andalucians finished bottom of the table under Lucas Alcaraz, their third boss of the season, but Gibson insists fans should not be concerned about the quality of their latest acquisition.

He said: “It was a strange season for Almeria. They struggled all year but every time I saw them play they were really good. It shows that the level of La Liga is really high because Almeria are a decent football team with decent players.

“It is a smashing move to go from Almeria to Rangers. At Almeria, they are a small club with small crowds, they only play in front of a few thousand people. They are a small club who were punching above their weight. Now he is coming to a massive club in Rangers, they are champions of Scotland, they play in the Champions League and I am sure he will love every minute of it.”

The arrival of Juanma caps a promising few days for the Light Blue legions after goalkeeper Allan McGregor and Steven Whittaker penned new long-term contracts. And former Ibrox hero Nacho Novo believes the fans will take his countryman to their hearts.

Novo said: “Ortiz will be playing in front of 50,000 Rangers fans and he is going to experience an atmosphere like nothing else. When you have that many fans supporting you it makes you a better player and he is good to start with.”

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/editor-s-picks/ortiz-is-juan-of-many-1.1110603

[FlippinEck 3,702]

Welcome to Rangers :D

[Loan Ranger 48]

STVSport STV Sport

Rangers have completed the signing of Almeria midfielder Juan Manuel Ortiz: http://bit.ly/qNZiwy

[Loan Ranger 48]

Rangers have completed the signing of Spanish midfielder Juan Manuel Ortiz from UD Almeria.

The 29-year-old has moved to the Scottish Premier League champions for an undisclosed fee, having spent two days in Glasgow holding signing talks.

Ortiz, who plays mainly as a right midfielder but can also be deployed on the left flank and in both full-back positions, has passed a medical and will travel with the squad to Germany on Wednesday afternoon for three pre-season matches.

Juan Manuel, or Juanma for short, has been with Almeria for four years, having joined the club from Atletico Madrid in 2007.

He went on to play 126 times, scoring nine goals, but was powerless to prevent the team from finishing bottom of last season's La Liga.

Speaking to STV on Monday, Almeria's sporting director Alberto Benito said he was not pleased to see Ortiz leave but conceded the possibility of playing in the Champions League made it impossible to stand in the player's way.

“We are not happy,” he said. “But for him, who is a very good person and player, this is a good move.

“It is important for him to play at a big club like Glasgow Rangers, who have the chance to play in Champions League.

“For me it is a big problem because I now have to find three players to replace him.”

[Mansion 120]