• Warrington captain Adrian Morley also recruited • 'It is going to be one hell of a ride,' says Brian Noble

Big-spending Salford have announced 12 new signings as part of a major relaunch of the Super League club. The list of new faces, unveiled at a press conference at Salford City Stadium, were headed by the England internationals Gareth Hock and Rangi Chase.

They will be joined at the renamed Red Devils before the 2014 season by the Warrington captain, Adrian Morley, the Wakefield scrum-half Tim Smith, St Helens' Francis Meli and Tony Puletua, the overseas players Jake Mullaney, Junior Sa'u and Steve Rapira, the London hooker Tommy Lee and the Batley pair Paul Walton and Greg Johnson.

Salford say the new signings between them boast 1,000 Super League appearances, more than 700 NRL matches and 100-plus international caps. They were announced by the owner, Marwan Koukash, to an audience of 450 fans and corporate guests.

"We have recruited some great experience with our international players," the head coach, Brian Noble said. "We have also added some exceptional young talent from home and abroad and we are adding these to some of our existing players who have performed admirably this season.

"I am really excited about the prospects for this season. It is going to be one hell of a ride."

The Salford captain, Martin Gleeson, who is one of the handful of players to be retained, said: "The club have done an unbelievable job to get this quality of player here."

Chase, the 2011 Man of Steel who will play his last match for Castleford at Wakefield on Sunday, admitted it was a relief to end the uncertainty over his future. "It's a big day for the club and it's an honour to be here," he said. "It's a relief to get it out, it's been the worst-kept secret. It's very exciting waiting for next year to happen. It's going to be a big year and I can't wait to be part of the transformation of the club. The sky is the limit for us."

Hock, who will play his final match for Widnes against Salford on Friday, was due to join the Australian club Parramatta for 2014 but pulled out of the move for personal reasons.

"I've got a little girl on the way so I had to change plans," he said.