Nigeria defender Leon Balogun has revealed his excitement after he made a swift return to Scottish giants Rangers, a day after announcing his next from QPR.
The 35-year-old Super Eagle announced on Wednesday he had left the EFL Championship outfit following the expiry of his contract and hours later he was paraded by the Ibrox side after signing a one-year contract.
“Rangers are delighted to welcome Leon Balogun back to Rangers, with the central defender signing a one-year deal with the club, subject to international clearance,” the club announced on their official website, adding: “Manager Michael Beale has previously spoken of his desire to add experience to his squad, with Balogun certainly bringing that, both as a member of Beale’s playing squad but also as a leader around the dressing room.”
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Speaking after being unveiled, Balogun said: “I am just excited, to be honest, it is still a bit unreal but it is very real, so I am just really really happy to be back at Rangers – it feels like coming home.”
“Since I have left, I have always felt a lot of appreciation and love from friends I have made in Glasgow and around the club and now that I am back it is nice, to say the least.
“I know second is no option, I know what people are going to say very quickly if we are not performing so it is time to get to work, put our best foot forward, and make sure we get the results that we need.”
Meanwhile, manager Beale explained the decision to sign Balogun: “Leon is a person that I have full trust in both as a footballer and a man,” adding: “He is extremely well-liked by everyone inside the club, and we are very happy to have someone with his experience and leadership qualities re-joining our squad. Naturally, he will integrate back into the club very quickly and he understands fully our way of working and style of play.
“As a free agent, we were able to move quickly so that he could join us here in Germany. It was really nice to see the reception he received from the players and staff on joining us here at the camp. I am just excited, to be honest, it is still a bit unreal but it is very real, so I am just really really happy to be back at Rangers – it feels like coming home.”
Balogun had an excellent two years from 2020-2022 at Ibrox, contributing to the delivery of title number 55 in 2021, the Scottish Cup in 2022 and the run to the Europa League final also in 2022.