Ex-Rangers ace explains 'no brainer' exit as £25m star given damning fitness verdict after post Celtic move

Rangers star Scott Wright was just one of a number of stars to join League One promotion hopefuls Birmingham City on deadline day in a busy final 24 hours of transfer activity in England’s second city.

The 27-year-old sacrificed the prospect of being involved in another title race along with the added incentive of playing Europa League football to drop into the third-tier of English football.

Wright even started a Champions League qualifier against Dynamo Kiev in early August but felt it was time for a new challenge and described the decision as a ‘no brainer’ after discussions with the Blues owners.

In an interview with Birmingham Live, Wright, who made 76 league appearances for the Light Blues explained: “I was getting game time at Rangers but I just felt like it was time for a new challenge for me. Once I had spoken to them it was a no brainer. Coming and being part of this project and this journey was something that really interested me.

“I signed on the Friday and it came up on Tuesday or Wednesday, so it really moved at a fast rate, but after having conversations with my family and my wife we thought it was going to be the right step for me.”

Wright enjoyed the dream debut by scoring a 91st minute winner against Wigan Athletic to extend Blues’ League One winning streak to three matches.

As it stands, the Blues are third in the League One table, level on 10 points with Wrexham and Stockport County as they target a return to the Championship after last season’s shock relegation.

Former Celtic star given damning fitness verdict after disastrous Saudi spell

Former Celtic hero Jota is back in Europe after completing a move to French side Rennes at the end of the summer transfer window.

The Portuguese playmaker, who scored 11 goals in 33 league matches during his final season at Parkhead, spent just one season in Saudi Arabia after making a £25m move to Al-Ittihad last summer.

The 25-year-old often struggled for game time in the Middle East as the club had too many foreign players to fit the quota of the league, particularly in the first six months.

He played just Asian Champions League and cup matches during the first part of the campaign and ended up being registered for the second part of the season, scoring four league goals. But that wasn't enough to ensure a future at the club and he wanted out regardless.

Rennes have acquired the player for just £8m, which is significantly cheaper than the amount the winger moved for just 12 months ago. However, manager Julien Stéphan is yet to hand him his debut and insists it will take Jota time to get back into the right physical condition for the new season.

He said, via Football Scotland: "Jota is going to need work. It will take him days and probably even weeks to get back to the physical level he needs because he had a very disrupted season last season.

"He hardly played between September and March. The last few weeks of pre-season for him were almost next to nothing too with nearly no team sessions. We're going to have to gradually get his fitness back up and get his condition back to what it should be."