MATT GILKS is relieved a call out of the blue has resulted in a deal with Rangers after he became the seventh signing of the summer at Ibrox.

The goalkeeper put pen-to-paper on a two-year deal with Mark Warburton’s side on Friday morning and will join the Gers in Charleston next week as the countdown continues to the new campaign.

Gilks was a free agent after leaving Burnley at the end of last season and will provide competition to first choice Wes Foderingham at Ibrox next term following the departure of Cammy Bell to Dundee United.

And the 34-year-old is delighted to be working alongside Gers goalie guru Jim Stewart once again as he prepares for the big kick-off.

Gilks said: “It’s fantastic. As soon as the phone call was made to me by Jim Stewart my eyes lit up when I saw his name.

“I thought ‘oh please be asking me’, so I’m absolutely delighted to be here.

“It’s a great set-up, it’s a fantastic club and I’m glad I’m a part of it.

“It’s the biggest club I’ll play for and it’s such an attraction, you really don’t want anything else other than to get here and get started, which is what I did.

“I came on Wednesday, did a medical and thankfully signed the papers [on Friday] morning.

“Yeah, I was thinking he might be asking me if there were any goalies I know who would fancy it!

“But thankfully he mentioned about me coming up and I’ve known Jim obviously through the Scotland set-up, he’s a fantastic bloke.

“I trust him and I know he’s got my best interests at heart as well.”

Gilks is the second player to make the move from Turf Moor to Ibrox this summer as Warburton bolsters his ranks for a crack at the Premiership title.

And the keeper is confident former Clarets team-mate Joey Barton will make a significant impact in Light Blue after heading across the border last month.

“I know Joey very well. We got on really well at Burnley actually and he probably helped me through the last year,” he told rangers.co.uk.

“He’s a great guy and I think he’s one of the most misunderstood footballers that has ever played.

“He’s very intelligent, he’s a very good footballer and he absolutely loves the game.

“The experience and what he can bring to this team, you can’t buy that.

“At Burnley he was the one that kept saying ‘we’re going to win the league lads, we’re going to win the league’.

“He said it every week, every day and hey presto we did win the league and he was a massive, massive part of that.”