Why Jermain Defoe could fire Rangers to the title this season

According to the Express, Rangers have completed the signing of Bournemouth hitman Jermain Defoe in an 18-month loan deal.

Bournemouth have two recall options in the loan deal – one in the summer and the other in January next season (h/t Express). The 36-year-old Englishman hasn’t started a single game for Bournemouth this season, with his involvement being limited to only four substitute appearances in the Premier League.

Defoe becomes the most recent high-profile Premier League striker to cross the border, following the footsteps of Chris Sutton, Rod Wallace, Gary Hooper, James Beattie and a few more.

The 36-year-old is amongst the top ten in terms of the number of goals scored in the Premier League, having netted 162 goals playing for West Ham, Tottenham Hotspur, Portsmouth, Sunderland and Bournemouth over the course of his illustrious career.

A 1-0 victory over Celtic in the Old Firm derby last week brought Rangers level on points with the Bhoys at the top of the table, albeit Brendan Rodgers’ men have a game in hand. As things stand, the Gers are in a good position to challenge for the title and someone like Jermain Defoe can certainly add competition for places up front.

Much of the goalscoring burden has been shouldered by Colombian youngster Alfredo Morelos, with the striker scoring 12 goals from 17 appearances in the Scottish Premiership.

Rangers do not have another quality striker in their ranks to fill the boots of the Colombian should he be sidelined with an injury in the second half of the season. Furthermore, an injury to Morelos is likely to deal a huge blow to Rangers’ title hopes.

Defoe, who has 20 goals from 57 international caps for England, is a proven goalscorer at the highest level. He has proven himself to be one of the most clinical finishers in world football and even at 36, he is capable of racking up more than 10 goals a season.

It would be a mistake to label him as a spent force as he accumulated 15 goals in both the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons with Sunderland.

Defoe has all the experience in the world and his presence in the squad would provide Steven Gerrard with an extra option up front. Moreover, Defoe can bring the best out of a young and flourishing striker like Morelos and the youngster will have the opportunity to learn a few tricks from the veteran.

That said, Rangers have struck gold with the signing of Jermain Defoe and he might just turn out to be the X-factor that the Gers need to overpower Celtic in the title race.