Is Jermain Defoe the next Rangers manager? Star fuels rumours after posting picture of training jacket with caption 'WATP'
Former England player Jermaine Defoe has fuelled rumours on him becoming Rangers next manager.
Defoe has worked as a coach at Rangers, albeit briefly, and could be about to head back to Ibrox once again. Defoe was a late addition to the coaching team during Steven Gerrard’s time in charge between 2018 and 2021.
The former England star proved an inspired signing in January 2019 and he went on to play a big role in Rangers’ title triumph two years later. Defoe, now 43, penned a one-year contract extension with the Ibrox club in June 2021, a deal that also saw him take up a coaching role alongside his playing responsibilities.
Gerrard would depart Rangers just five months later and Defoe was one of the men elevated into a caretaker boss role prior to Giovanni van Bronckhorst‘s appointment as manager.
Defoe left Rangers in January 2022 and after a brief stint at Sunderland retired in March that year. That August, he returned to former club Tottenham in academy coaching role and spent two years in the position.
He quit in July last year, citing his ambitions to become a manager. But just this week, Defoe opened the door to a stunning return to Rangers.
He revealed he’d jump at the chance to head back to Ibrox in a coaching capacity. Speaking earlier this week, Defoe made clear he wants to return to coaching and implied he’d be open to returning to Rangers.
Speaking on Sky Sports News on 7 October, Defoe said: “I’ve said it from day one, as soon as I retired and did all my coaching badges, and I said if I got an opportunity to come into this football club and help these players, of course, for me, it’s a no-brainer.” In wake of that news, Defoe has fuelled the flames with his social media activity this morning (9 October).
Defoe uploaded a couple of stories to his personal Instagram account, one showing a Rangers training jacket and another a jug, seemingly given to him for his part in the most recent title triumph. The first of those images included the caption “WATP”, which is an acronym for “We Are The People”.
However, it has been reported that Steven Gerrard will hold talks over potentially returning to Rangers as the Scottish giants seek a replacement for Russell Martin. Rangers chairman Andrew Cavenagh and vice-chairman Paraag Marathe will hold talks with the Liverpool icon in London on Thursday. The two senior figures were at the club when Gerrard was last in that post.
Betting on Steven Gerrard becoming Rangers new manager has now been suspended by bookmakers. It comes after a “flood of money” has been put on the 45-year-old making a stunning return to Ibrox.
Spokesperson for William Hill, Lee Phelps, said: “A flood of money on Wednesday for Steven Gerrard to replace Russell Martin as Rangers boss has meant we have shut down the next manager market overnight. Gerrard is due to hold talks with his former employers in the coming days, and having made the Liverpool legend as short as 1/8, we’ve now suspended betting.
“Derek McInnes (11/1), Kevin Muscat (12/1) and Sean Dyche (20/1) had been Gerrard’s closest rivals for the vacancy at the William Hill Premiership giants, but all have drifted in the last 24 hours.”