Scottish football legend Joe Jordan believes Jermain Defoe is a fantastic signing for Rangers, one so good that it must provoke a response from Scottish Premierhip rivals Celtic.
The Gers announced on Sunday that Defoe has joined the club on an 18-month loan deal from Bournemouth, giving manager Steven Gerrard an excellent alternative striking option to Scottish football’s top scorer Alfredo Morelos.
Jordan worked closely with the veteran striker when both were at Portsmouth and Tottenham Hotspur, so it’s no surprise he is a fan of the prolific goalscorer.
As quoted by The Scottish Sun, the former Milan and Man United man said:
This is a signing that will make the league buzz a bit.
It will be interesting to see how Celtic respond to Defoe’s arrival, and I’m sure they will. I think they will be hurting a little bit from the way Rangers beat them last weekend at Ibrox.
Celtic will need to do something, especially after all the headlines with Defoe. He is still a big name, and Steven Gerrard will want to set up his team to benefit. It is now up to Celtic to respond to that signing.
Jermain’s a goalscorer. His record proves it and shows that is exactly what he is. He has an uncanny ability to score goals. If you get the ball in the box then he will get on the end of it.
The major barrier to Defoe’s short-term impact at Ibrox will be match fitness, considering he hasn’t played much for Bournemouth recently. The last couple of seasons haven’t exactly seen him lighting up the scoring charts, but at Scottish Premiership level he is more than good enough.
Morelos has carried the team at times this season and having another in the squad who can take the goalscoring pressure off the Colombian’s shoulders could be massive down the title race stretch.
With the addition of Steven Davis too, Rangers now have serious winning experience in the dressing room and it’s clear we have what it takes to challenge for major honours in the second half of the season.
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