Rangers sign Hearts’ David Templeton in last-gasp deadline move

Published on 01/09/2012 01:32

Winger David Templeton has signed for Rangers after Hearts accepted a bid from the Ibrox club.

Hearts confirmed Templeton had made the move but Ryan McGowan rejected a switch to the Third Division side and opted to remain at Tynecastle.

Rangers earlier loaned captain Carlos Bocanegra to Racing Santander for a season while Maurice Edu completed his move to Stoke.

Rangers soon confirmed that Templeton had joined on a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee.

Hearts said the 23-year-old, who signed for Hearts from Stenhousemuir in 2007, had made it clear he wanted to move on when his contract expired at the end of the season.

They added: “Rangers were also keen on Temps’ close friend Ryan McGowan but the Aussie ace handed manager John McGlynn a major boost by opting to remain at Hearts.”

Templeton, whose last goal for Hearts came in the 1-1 Europa League draw against Liverpool at Anfield, told his new club’s official website: “I’ve spoken to some of the boys such as Ian Black and Lee Wallace and they are loving it here.

“Once I had spoken to them I thought I wanted to be part of this and to help get Rangers back to where they belong. I’m looking forward to being part of that.

“It’s a good challenge for us. I want to help the club succeed and to get back into Europe again as it should be. I’m looking forward to the next four years.”

An anticipated influx of Rangers signings had failed to materialise when the midnight deadline shut for Scottish Football League clubs, also signalling the start of a 12-month transfer embargo on players aged over 17.

Rangers lost more players on transfer deadline day than they gained despite manager Ally McCoist looking to bring in up to six players.

Edu’s exit was long anticipated but McCoist had been hoping to keep Bocanegra.

However, Spanish second division side Santander confirmed the USA defender had joined until June 30, 2013.

Bocanegra later revealed he was hopeful of a return to Ibrox at some stage.

The 33-year-old said: “It’s a strange feeling because Rangers is a hard club to leave but on the other hand, I’ve got a chance to go to Spain and play for Racing Santander.

“That gives me a chance to stay involved with my national team and playing for my country is something which is very important to me.

“It’s something which is really high on my list of priorities. I love playing with the USA team and to captain it is a huge honour, as it was for me to captain Rangers.

“I think this is a deal which suits all parties and it’s a loan deal. That’s good and I’m happy about that so I’ll be coming back here next July.

“The window has been funny and for whatever reason it has come down to the last minute after stuff had been on the cards for a couple of weeks.

“But I feel I could come back and play here again. I had an opportunity to sign for Santander and leave here for good because I was on a free transfer but I purposely went for a loan.

“Rangers are happy with that and I am very happy with that so it is something which worked out great for us all.”

Rangers also lost Kirk Broadfoot this week after releasing the defender from his contract.