[ad_pod ]

This article is part of Football FanCast's Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers...

Former Rangers midfielder Gennaro Gattuso thinks Filip Helander can be a big hit at Ibrox, as reported by The Daily Record.

What's he said?

The former Italian international is famous for a long career at AC Milan, but he of course played for Rangers in the late 1990s before creating a legendary legacy in his homeland.

Most recently manager of the San Siro giants, he is well placed to give an insight into Helander, who the Gers are reported to be on the verge of signing.

Gattuso is a fan of the Swedish defender, believing him to be a potential bargain for the Ibrox side.

You won't believe which of Liverpool's Champions League winning side of 2005 is still playing in the video below...

As quoted by The Daily Record, he said:

"I like this player. He has a good Scandinavian mentality and he’s not a bad defender. I heard today from Italy that the price is around 5m euros – and that’s a good price for him.

"Yes, it’s big money for Rangers but he’s a good player at that price when you consider the market at this moment. It’s incredible that some players are costing 50 or 55m euros. For 5m euros Rangers have done good business.

"People say he had a difficult last season in Serie A but for the first two or three months he actually played very well.

"He’ll be good for the team and the Scottish league. I’m not saying he’ll find it easy in Scotland because it’s not an easy league to play in.

"But he has the right mentality to be successful there. He is very focused, very determined. He is also the kind of player who likes to fight."

It's a strong endorsement from one of the great football fighters and battlers of the last 20 years and it appears fans can look forward to a committed player in the heart of the Gers defence if he completes his move.

Helander's pedigree

The ten cap international has strong experience both in Swedish football and in Serie A, playing most of his football with Malmo and Bologna.

Given that lots of the arrivals at Rangers in recent years have been free transfers or loans, as Gattuso points out, it's a potentially expensive outlay for the club but one which perhaps heralds a new era of spending at Ibrox.

Watch Rangers Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

He has a profile and pedigree that makes him one of the most ambitious signings at the club since their promotion to the Scottish top-flight.

With Connor Goldson and Nikola Katic also available, as well as George Edmundson, if Helander arrives then the centre-back area becomes one of the strongest positions in the squad in terms of quality and depth.

Will the move pay off when measured against the fee paid? Gattuso certainly seems to think so and that should be exciting for many fans.