JASON Holt admits it was a tough call to cut short his Rangers career.
But after spending last season on loan at Fleetwood Town, the midfielder knew it was time-up at Ibrox.
And he leapt at the chance of a season-long loan with St Johnstone as the deadline-day clock counted down.
“It’s a wrench to leave Rangers, of course it is,” admitted the 26-year-old.
“It’s a big club, a special club but in football you have to think about your career and move on sometimes.”
Holt was lured from Hearts five years ago and clocked-up more than 100 appearances for Rangers before Steven Gerrard replaced Mark Warburton in the hot seat.
“It’s just one of those things. When a new manager arrives it can be like a revolving door.
“I decided to go out on loan last season to play games and then when I came back, the team there had come on leaps and bounds.
“So there wasn’t a place for me. I wasn’t in the plans and you have to move on.
“It’s a tough decision to make because you never want to leave a club of that size – but you have to think about the bigger picture.
“I want to be part of a squad, training every day with something at the end of it.
“And I want to be part of a dressing-room again. So coming here was the best move for me.
“I had a great time at Rangers. I had a great relationship with the fans there.
“The first couple of years were great. I like to think I made a contribution there when I played and I’ll look back fondly on it.
“But it was time to move on, I’m focused on St Johnstone now and helping this club.”
✍️| The Club is delighted to announce the signing of @RangersFC midfielder Jason Holt on a season-long-loan.
— St. Johnstone FC (@StJohnstone) September 2, 2019
The 26-year-old is our second #DeadlineDay signing and has been with the Ibrox outfit since joining from Hearts in 2015.
More to follow.#WelcomeJason #️⃣1️⃣9️⃣ pic.twitter.com/zLareFcnu0
READ MORE: Borna Barisic warns Celtic: Old Firm defeat means nothing for Rangers
Holt made more than 30 appearances for Joey Barton’s League One Fleetwood side last term.
But now he is eager to justify Perth manager Tommy Wright’s persistence.
“Fleetwood was good for me. It was a similar situation because I just wanted to play.
“I had played in that league before with Sheffield United so I knew what it was all about.
“Coming back to Scotland for this season, it’s a really competitive league with big games all the time.”
“This is a big season for me.
“The manager here had made it clear to me for a while he wanted to sign me, so it’s good when you have someone putting in that effort to bring you in the door.
“When you know you’re wanted it makes your decision a lot easier so I just can’t wait to get involved with the boys and get going.
“Looking at the squad here, there is a lot of quality in it and there is no doubt we will climb up the table.
“In this league a couple of results will take you right up there, so it’s early days.
“There are a lot of good players here. I have played with Mikey O’Halloran before and it’s good to see him getting back to his best.
“I’ve played against Murray Davidson, Zander Clark, Liam Craig, Stevie May and a lot of the team over the years so I know how good they all are.
“It’s exciting for me – it’s just disappointing we don’t have a game this weekend!
Perth boss Wright admitted Holt and striker Stevie May had figured at the top of his summer wish list.
“I am delighted to get Jason in. He was one we targeted a while back so it was good to get it over the line.
“Jason and Stevie were the two I wanted. It took time but we got there in the end and the club deserve a lot of credit for that.
“With Anthony Ralston coming in too and adding to the players we brought in over the summer, I’m delighted with the squad now.
“We are a young team but Jason will add experience to it.”
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