England £364000 per week striker claims he was “forced” into

England £364000 per week striker claims he was “forced” into unwanted Rangers gig before painful retirement

Jermain Defoe says he was “forced” into a player/coach role at Rangers prior to Giovanni van Bronckhorst authorizing his pre-

retirement departure to Sunderland.

at Rangers and made a significant impact on the team.

Jermain Defoe, who was first signed by Steven Gerrard on loan, played a crucial part in the side that

won 55 games and captured the hearts of Rangers supporters.

During his conversation on quitting the world of soccer, the former striker for West Ham, Tottenham,

and Portsmouth asserts that he felt compelled to take on a coaching position at Ibrox.

Speaking on the Football Firsts podcast (beginning at 5:05), Jermain Defoe, the former striker, and Troy Deeney co-host the show.

They had been talking about his departure from the Rangers.

In January 2022, Defoe would leave Rangers for Sunderland in an attempt to play one more game before turning to coaching at Ibrox.

Jermain Defoe, who was given a player/coach role for the 21–22 season, says he didn’t really

want to go down this path with the Rangers.

before deciding to join the Black Cats.

“Before I went to Sunderland, I hadn’t played in about two or three months,” said Defoe. “Stevie (Gerrard) went and Giovanni van

Bronckhorst come in. I had a meeting with him and he basically said to me, ‘listen, what’s this player/coach thing?’.

“‘I see you in training, you’re sharp, what’s the situation? Do you want to play or do you want to coach?’

“I said I want to play. To be totally honest, I didn’t even want the player/coach role.

It was forced upon me. So I decided to go to Sunderland.”

Jermain Defoe continued by talking about his decision to retire from the game, which he made

just three months after leaving Rangers.

His second spell at the Stadium Light was short-lived, he claimed, as Sunderland lost their mental

battle and failed to live up to their promise of game time.

The striker adds that his decision was influenced by guilt at possibly obstructing the road for

younger players when he wasn’t performing up to par.

“Alex Neil, please come in. To be completely honest, what I was promised just never materialized,”

Defoe remarked. “I believe the manager simply disregarded everything I was told by those in higher positions.”

“I recall thinking about exercising because of how my body was feeling at the time.

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