Rangers are ready to gamble on Jermaine Defoe bringing the club success as they pay out a wage in excess of six times the average at Ibrox, according to the Times.
The newspaper claim on their website that the Light Blues are paying out a huge £65,000-a-week for the England striker during his loan spell in Glasgow, half of his £130,000-a-week wages at parent club Bournemouth.
It is stated that the average wage at Ibrox among the playing squad is £10,000-a-week and that Defoe’s arrival signals their willingness to gamble on winning the Premiership title this season, with losses of £14million revealed last year.
Opinion
Defoe’s wages at Rangers are mind blowing for Scotland and this really is a watershed moment for not just the club but the whole of the Premiership. There are first choice Premier League players on less money than that and considering the money that the clubs in England get from the likes of Sky and foreign television rights, it is quite remarkable that Rangers were able to find the cash to splash on his capture. Is this what fans north of the border can expect to see from their sides in the coming years? Probably not. Defoe’s arrival is one massive coup and there are not going to be too many other top flight players in England willing to make the move to Scotland. Steven Gerrard’s arrival has been a huge factor and if more big names were willing to make that switch then maybe there would be an increase of talent. The real issue is money and until the Scottish top flight gets big bucks from television and sponsorship, they are going to be considered a lesser league than those in England.