Glen Kamara moved to Dundee earlier than expected after a fee was agreeed
New Rangers signing Glen Kamara says he was "shocked" to learn the Ibrox club were interested in him and had been watching his progress with Dundee.
The 23-year-old former Arsenal trainee agreed a pre-contract agreement to join the Ibrox club in the summer before a fee was negotiated on deadline day.
Boss Steven Gerrard described the midfielder's early arrival a "bonus".
"They told me how impressed they'd been. I didn't know the manager was watching me at the time," Kamara said.
"It was a no brainer; it is a big club with a lot of history and a great manager right now. The team are doing well, so it was the perfect time to come here."
Kamara, capped seven times by Finland, came through the Arsenal academy along with Gedion Zelalem and Jon Toral, who both spent time on loan at Ibrox.
He joined Dundee in 2017 after loan spells with Southend United and Colchester United, was left out of the Dens Park side's four games after he initially his summer move.
Consequently, Kamara will not make his debut against St Mirren on Saturday.
"He hasn't done much over the last three weeks," Gerrard said. "He's had no game time and he hasn't really trained much.
"We will build him up to get him up to speed, but you can see in training the quality is there to see. We believe we can help Glen to improve and find the next level."
Steven Gerrard thinks Matt Polster is another investment for the future
Gerrard said he had tried to strike a balance during January between signing experience players such as Jermain Defoe and Steven Davis, and those who could be improved and sold on, such as Kamara and former Chicago Fire midfielder Matt Polster.
"Matt is another one for the future," the manager added. "To get a player of his quality in for free is a no-brainer. It makes financial sense.
"He is a good player, he can play in numerous positions. He will be a couple of weeks to get up to speed, but he is adding more quality to the squad."
