USA prospect Gedion Zelalem joins Rangers on loan
USA under-20 midfielder Gedion Zelalem praised Glasgow Rangers as a “massive club” after joining the Scottish Championship side on Monday.
“This is a great opportunity for me at a massive club,” Zelalem told rangers.co.uk. “I was at the Hibernian game and the fans were incredible, so I’m looking forward to playing here."
"Playing in front of 50,000 fans will replicate what it will be like at Arsenal, and the media spotlight is also similar," Zelalem continued. "The manager wants to play great football too, and they were all factors in my decision to come here. Everyone knows the name ‘Glasgow Rangers’ so right away I was interested.”
The temporary switch allows Zelalem to continue his development with increased first-team opportunities. Zelalem made one appearance in each of the last two seasons for Arsenal, but he found his path blocked by several established international players in the attacking berths.
There are no such concerns within the Rangers squad, though Zelalem must displace established performers and prove his worth in order to emerge from the pack and secure a spot in the team
Zelalem said he chose Rangers because he felt manager Mark Warburton would give him the chance to impress despite his lack of experience.
“The training is similar to what we do at Arsenal – everything is on the ground with possession-based stuff, so I’m getting used to it very quickly. The manager trusts young players – and you saw that in his time at Brentford,” Zelalem said. “Jon Toral was on loan there last year, and he also plays for Arsenal, so I spoke to him and he had nothing but great things to say about the manager.”
Warburton must figure out how to integrate Zelalem into his 4-3-3 setup in the coming weeks, but he praised the Arsenal starlet as a player capable of stamping his mark on the side over the next few months.
“It’s nice to have him on board and a lot of work has been done,” Warburton told rangers.co.uk. “I'm thankful to some really good people at Arsenal and the work done by people here at Rangers. There is no doubt he is a very talented young player and I'm sure he'll have an impact for us.”
Zelalem received clearance from FIFA to play for the USA earlier this year. He made five appearances for the Americans at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in New Zealand earlier this year, but he has yet to make his full debut for the national team.
