This week, Football Insider reported that Jermain Defoe is willing to take a small pay decrease in order to make Rangers his permanent home. The striker is currently on loan from Bournemouth and is lighting up the Scottish Premiership (transfermarkt.co.uk).
But with Alfredo Morelos currently running the show as Steven Gerrard’s number one striker, why are Rangers so keen to bring in the 37-year-old permanently?
TIF Tactics – What has Defoe done to warrant a permanent move to Rangers?
In order to determine why Rangers are so eager to keep Defoe permanently, we will be looking at his average performances over 90 minutes so far the season. We will then look at those numbers compared to his entire career.
While he is yet to register an assist in 2019/2020, Defoe has contributed with 16 goals. With just 1112 minutes played, he averages 1.29 goals every 90 minutes of football. Essentially, if Defoe is playing for Rangers he is likely scoring a goal. When we compare this to is xG (expected goals) of 0.82 goals-per-game it shows just how clinical the striker is.
These numbers are more than double what he averaged in his entire career. In all professional competitions since he started, Defoe averages 0.51 goals per 90 minutes. Like a fine wine, the English striker is clearly getting better with age. It appears as if the Scottish league suits his game perfectly. And while he isn’t getting a consistent run of starts, because of Morelos’ incredible form, he is able to come on and make an impact when needed.
Would you keep Defoe at Rangers permanently?
Do you want Jermain Defoe to stay at Rangers permanently?
Yes
No
He is also averaging more shots per game, averaging 4.13 shots every 90 minutes compared to the 2.71 shots he averaged in his career. His accuracy is slightly improving too, with 51% of his shots hitting the target compared to 45.1% of shots hitting the target in the past.
These goal scoring statistics show exactly why Gerrard is so keen on bringing Defoe into his team on a permanent basis. He also brings some experience into a quite young dressing room. In other words, he is invaluable. It’s no surprise why they want him to stay.
(all data and stats from Wyscout.com, accurate at the time of writing)