RANGERS have today signed James Beattie on a two-year contract, with an option for a third, from Stoke City for an undisclosed fee.
And the striker, who has been given the no. 19 jersey, will go straight in to Walter Smith's squad for tomorrow's SPL opener against Kilmarnock at Ibrox.
Beattie, who has five caps for England, was given a VIP tour of the stadium and Murray Park yesterday and met his new teammates this morning before putting pen-to-paper.
His decision to move north of the border will be a huge boost for Smith who admitted that he had to bolster his attack with experienced players following the departure of Kris Boyd to Middlesbrough.
At 32 Beattie has enjoyed a lengthy career playing in the English Premiership and Championship and will no doubt prove to be a quality addition to a Rangers squad hungry for more success in 2010/11.
During his six-and-a-half years at The Saints he helped the club reach the FA Cup final in 2002/03 but a 1-0 defeat to The Gunners took the shine off a campaign in which the striker scored 23 goals, a tally which made him the third highest scorer in the Premiership.
Five years ago Everton smashed their transfer record when David Moyes shelled out £6million for the player before Sheffield United spent £4.5m in another club record deal in August '07.
