'I'm in Glasgow quite a bit': Ex-Rangers star lifts lid on potential Ibrox return and delivers Clement verdict

The Rangers title winner lifted the lid on a potential return to Ibrox.

Ex-Rangers favourite Jermain Defoe says he would relish a return to Ibrox as he lifted the lid on the secret conversations he held over a potential return to the club last year.

The former Ibrox striker was part of the last Rangers squad to win the Scottish Premiership in 2021, scoring 32 goals for the club during his three-season stay in Govan. He departed the club in order to return to Sunderland in January 2022, before retiring shortly afterwards, and admits it has been hard to watch his former club struggle since his departure.

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"I feel like it's obvious that something needs to change,” Defoe said. “The players need to try and find their form. The players need to find some sort of consistency. There are games up there that people expect them to win, and you can slip-up if you don’t approach with the right frame of mind, and that’s what happened last season. You look at the points that Rangers dropped last season, and they're games that you would expect them to win convincingly to be honest."

Ex-Rangers star Jermain Defoe admits watching his former club has been 'tough'. Cr: SNS Group.Ex-Rangers star Jermain Defoe admits watching his former club has been 'tough'. Cr: SNS Group.
Ex-Rangers star Jermain Defoe admits watching his former club has been 'tough'. Cr: SNS Group. | SNS Group

"If you speak to any Rangers fan or ex-players, and if we’re being totally honest, it’s been hard watching it. We won the league when I had the player-coach role, and then after I left the boys came so close to winning the Europa League. I looked at it and thought they would kick on the next season, if they kept the core of good young players and experience, and possibly add a few more. But it’s actually gone the other way, and it has been tough to watch.”

Defoe, now 42, was most recently the under-18s coach at Tottenham Hotspur, where he worked under former Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou. Departing the North London club in July, Defoe is looking to take the next step in his coaching career and admits he would relish a return to Rangers, should the opportunity arise.

Jermain Defoe would relish a return to Rangers. Cr: SNS Group.Jermain Defoe would relish a return to Rangers. Cr: SNS Group.
Jermain Defoe would relish a return to Rangers. Cr: SNS Group. | Getty Images

"I try and watch every game. I go to Glasgow quite a bit, and speak to some of the boys,” said the former England international. “If I had the opportunity to come back to Rangers at some stage, it would be an easy decision because it is such an amazing club, and I do feel like I’ve got a special relationship with the fans. I spent a lot of time with Steven Gerrard and Michael Beale talking about coaching, especially in lockdown when we had that period without playing.

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“Even when you’ve played at the top-level for 20 odd years there’s no guarantee you’re going to be a good coach. You have to do the courses and learn as much as you can. I’m so glad that I did the academy stuff at Tottenham, learning a lot about stuff I didn’t even know existed. I started my coaching badges with Rangers, and then completed my A-license while I was at Tottenham.”

Adding in an interview with Gambling.com: “I’ve had loads of conversations with clubs. I actually had a conversation with Rangers last year, and told them that I would love to come back in some sort of role at the football club.”

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