Ibrox View: Defoe ambition for potential contract extension is brilliant news for Rangers
RANGERS OPINION
Jermain Defoe has been an unmitigated success for Rangers since signing on loan from Bournemouth last January.
The veteran striker has showed no signs of his advancing years since arriving in Glasgow, and has hit 25 goals in 52 appearances for the Gers in all competitions.
That tally includes 17 in 32 outings this term, and it is little wonder that the club have taken the decision to make his temporary spell a permanent one at the first opportunity.
At 37, you would forgive Defoe for slowing down a little, but he remains as sharp as ever and, if recent comments are anything to go by, just as hungry too.
Speaking to the BBC’s Football Daily Podcast, he said: “I’ve enjoyed being in the changing rooms and not being the school teacher but looking after the younger ones and saying ‘Oh you should do this, you should do that’.
“I always say to the boys: ‘If you need anything then come and speak to me’. And they do at Rangers, I just enjoy every training session.
“I’ve got another year at Rangers, I’ve got next season and then we’ll see what happens.
“If next season I score 15 or 20 goals then I want another season and we’ll see what happens.”
And Defoe’s ambition is a fantastic piece of news for the Gers.
So far this season he has averaged an expected goals rating of 0.73, as per Wyscout, as well as a goals per 90 minute ratio of 1.06.
As a point of reference, Alfredo Morelos – 14 years Defoe’s junior – has an xG of 0.74, but a considerably inferior goals per 90 minute ratio of 0.77, as per Wyscout.
There are few, if any, wily old campaigners you would rather have as a backup option to your main striker, and if Rangers can squeeze another couple of seasons out of Defoe, that would surely be beneficial for both the club and the player.
The hitman is a model professional with an admirable attitude towards training and his personal wellbeing – as also detailed during his interview with the BBC.
His current deal at Ibrox runs until the summer of 2021, and if an extension is a realistic option, it feels like an absolute no-brainer.
In other Rangers news, Ibrox chief Park claims Gers will foot bill for second SPFL probe.