'No-brainer' - Ex-Sunderland man throws hat into the ring for vacant Rangers job
Rangers are on the hunt for a new manager following Russell Martin’s exit
Former Sunderland striker Jermain Defoe has admitted that it would be a “no-brainer” to return to Rangers in a coaching role if the opportunity presents itself following the departure of Russell Martin.
The Scottish giants have endured a wretched start to the current campaign, winning just one of their opening seven Premiership matches and languishing 8th in the table. The Gers have also lost their first two Europa League group stage outings, and crashed out of the Champions League in a 9-1 aggregate defeat to Club Brugge back in August.
It is within this context that Martin was unsurprisingly relieved of his duties at Ibrox over the weekend, making him the shortest-serving permanent manager in Rangers’ 153-year history.
And as the hunt of a replacement begins, ex-Black Cats favourite Defoe - who else spent a spell in Glasgow during the latter stages of his career - has thrown his hat into the ring for the newly open vacancy.
What has Jermain Defoe said about the Rangers job following Russell Martin sacking?
Speaking to Sky Sports News, Defoe outlined his belief that he has what it takes to make the move into senior management, as well as reflecting on his previous spell with Rangers, during which he won a Scottish Premiership title.
He said: “I’ve done all my coaching badges and if I got an opportunity to come back to that club to help this group of players then it would be a no-brainer. I said it from day one as soon as I retired. It’s well documented, the time I had there and winning arguably the most important league in the club’s history.
“Myself, Steven [Gerrard], and all the boys did that and it was amazing to be a part of it. It’s more than just a football club and I think I understood what it was about. I understood when you put on a Rangers shirt you have to win and the demands and the standards.”
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Defoe signed for Rangers from Bournemouth in the summer of 2020, and would go on to score 32 goals in 74 outings north of the border, helping the Gers to end a nine-season wait for a Scottish Premiership title in the process and preventing bitter rivals Celtic from achieving a historic ten-in-a-row.
Following his time at Ibrox, he rejoined Sunderland for a second time on a free transfer in January 2022, but failed to score in any of his seven outings and took the decision to hang up his boots for good in March of that year.
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