Rangers complete Defoe loan signing

Locked level on points with Celtic, Rangers are in with a real chance and Gerrard described Defoe's signing as "a great addition to our dressing room".

Defoe has scored goals wherever he has played, 273 of them in a club career taking in the likes of West Ham, Tottenham, Sunderland and Portsmouth.

"I'm delighted to be able to welcome Jermain to Rangers. He is an exceptionally talented striker and vastly experienced footballer who has scored goals at every club he has played for," Gerrard said.

"We look forward to integrating him into the squad whilst we work in Tenerife over the next week."

Defoe is the seventh-highest scorer in the history of the Premier League and sixth in the history of Tottenham.

Not only has he won admirers for his football – he scored 20 goals for England too – he has earned praise for his off-the-field behaviour, in particular his friendship with Bradley Lowery, a Sunderland fan who died aged six after a long battle with neuroblastoma.

Defoe was awarded an OBE for his charity work in 2018.

"It's really helpful to get work on this front done early in the transfer window because it means we should be able to hit the ground running after the winter break. I believe that is vitally important," Rangers director of football Mark Allen added.

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