Ivor Pandur is currently with the Croatia squad at the World Cup finals.
Rangers have completed the signing of goalkeeper Ivor Pandur from Hull City for an undisclosed fee. Pandur is part of the Croatian national team at the World Cup.
The 26-year-old has agreed to a four-year contract with the Scottish Premiership club. Meanwhile, current Rangers number one Jack Butland is reportedly expected to transfer to Hull City in the coming days.
Pandur leaves Hull after making 48 appearances last season. He was a key figure in Sergej Jakirovic's squad that secured promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs, following a sixth-place finish in the Championship.
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Pandur, who has yet to earn a full international cap, joined Hull in January 2024 on a three-and-a-half-year deal from Dutch side Fortuna Sittard.
Rangers have capitalised on Hull's necessity to sell key players to reduce their £6m Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) deficit and avoid a potential points deduction.
Beginning his career at local club Rijeka, Pandur spent three years with Hellas Verona in Italy before moving to the Netherlands in 2022.
Jack Butland, who earned nine England caps with his last in 2018, joined Rangers from Crystal Palace in October 2023. The 33-year-old has made 157 appearances for Rangers to date.
With Butland's anticipated move to Hull, Pandur will compete with Liam Kelly, who was also with the Scotland squad at the World Cup, for the starting goalkeeper position at Ibrox.
Early Career and Playing Style
Pandur made his professional debut for Rijeka in the top flight at just 19 years old, having represented Croatia at youth level.
This early promise led to a move to Serie A with Verona the following year, where he notably saved two penalties on his debut in a Coppa Italia victory over Venezia.
Despite this, he made only 11 appearances for Verona before joining Fortuna Sittard on loan with an option to buy. He quickly became the first-choice goalkeeper and secured a permanent move to the Dutch Eredivisie club.
Only six months into a four-year contract with Fortuna, Pandur was sold to Hull City. Although it took eight months before making his debut, he established himself as the first-choice goalkeeper thereafter.
His form declined amid transfer speculation during his second season at Hull, but he played in all but one of Hull's 46 Championship matches last season. He also became only the fourth goalkeeper in history to keep clean sheets in both play-off semi-finals and the final.
Pandur is known for his excellent shot-stopping abilities but is considered less proficient with ball distribution at his feet. Last season, he kept 14 clean sheets in 48 games, making 150 saves with a save percentage of 69.8%, conceding a goal every 66 minutes on average.
By comparison, Jack Butland made 38 appearances, recording 12 clean sheets, 104 saves, a higher save percentage of 70.7%, and conceded a goal every 79 minutes. Butland also saved four penalties, two more than Pandur.
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