When Rangers signed Jermain Defoe in January 2019 on an 18-month loan deal, it was a transfer that seemed almost unbelievable.
The veteran England international was 36 when he joined and 37 when he signed a pre-contract agreement the following year to make the stay in Glasgow a permanent one, such was his impact.
Rangers got their money’s worth out of Jermain Defoe, leaving with 32 goals and 10 assists in 74 appearances mainly off the bench, but could a repeat deal be a possibility with another Premier League legend?
Could Rangers repeat Jermain Defoe move to tempt Jamie Vardy?
He was never expected to be number one, but to provide reliable back-up and an option off the bench, which is exactly what he provided.
It’s a role that Philippe Clement could do with someone filling in his squad now.
Almost every game since he arrived at Ibrox, he has turned to his bench and seen little other than a half-fit Kemar Roofe as a plan B.
It’s a hard position in the squad to fill.
Nobody wants to sign knowing that they are going to be a backup.
There are exceptions though, those at the start of their careers and those coming to the end.
With 20 goals and 2 assists in 36 games, few would be better than Leicester City great Jamie Vardy.
Like Defoe, he always had plenty of pace, so Father Time hasn’t had too much of an impact on his ability to get away from defenders.
In total, Vardy has over 250 goal contributions in just over 450 games.
Rangers have a high earner in Roofe leaving in the summer and Clement will need to replace him.
Danilo will be fit again and Cyriel Dessers has shown that, if he was fit over a full season, he could score and create enough chances to be a key part of the attack.
Add Jamie Vardy to that forward line and Rangers would be in good shape.
Speaking after scoring two goals to confirm Leicester’s status as Championship champions, the 37-year old confirmed that he has no plans to hang up his boots just yet:
“I’m not ready to hang the boots up yet, the legs feel fine. I feel as fit as I ever have, so we’ll just see what happens.
“But there’s two games to go so I’m just fully focused on that now.”
Vardy has been serial winner with Leicester City
After more than 10 years at Leicester, it is safe to say that Vardy has overachieved.
Premier League winner, FA Cup winner, Premier League golden boot winner – twice and 27 caps for his country including scoring in a major tournament.
He also scored two goals in the Champions League as Leicester made it to the knockout stages.
Few would have expected this sort of career when he was playing for Fleetwood as a 24-year old.
Rangers need players with the right mentality this summer and Jamie Vardy would be perfect.
The chance to play in Europe and win trophies might be exactly the way he wants to finish his career, just like former England teammate Defoe.
