Latest news with #Defoe
Glasgow Times
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
Former Rangers star names two Glasgow restaurants 'the best'
Jermain Defoe revealed his love for La Lanterna on Great Western Road and Eusebi's Deli on Park Road in the city. The 42-year-old, from England, shared his love for the two popular food spots on the Open Goal podcast recently. READ MORE: New Rangers manager pictured at popular Glasgow restaurant READ MORE: Rangers legend pictured at much-loved Glasgow restaurant In the podcast, hosted by Simon Ferry, the star revealed that one of his favourite places to dine was La Lanterna in Glasgow's West End. He also said he enjoyed a cheeky visit to Eusebi's Deli, which is also located in the West End. Defoe called both the Glasgow eateries the 'best' before saying he's been to many Italian restaurants in London. Meanwhile, in the podcast, Defoe also revealed his love for Glasgow. He said: "I love Glasgow." Ferry asked Defoe what he loves about the city, to which he replied: "Just everything. "I think the people are so friendly. "It's weird, and not just because I was a footballer and played for Rangers and get recognised, but I just think in general." He added: "I remember saying to my mum, 'You need to come up, Glasgow is unbelievable, the people are so friendly." READ MORE: Rangers legend pictured visiting beloved Glasgow restaurant READ MORE: Rangers legend pictured at beloved Glasgow restaurant After that, Defoe's family visited him in the city and 'loved it'. Defoe played with Rangers between 2019 and 2022. During his time at the club, the former football legend made over 50 appearances. Former Rangers star names two Glasgow restaurants 'the best' (Image: SNS) Meanwhile, during his career, the icon also played with West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur, Sunderland, and AFC Bournemouth. Open Goal is a well-known, successful podcast which aims to bring football fans closer to the game.
Glasgow Times
30-06-2025
- Sport
- Glasgow Times
Former Rangers star compared to Man Utd & England legend
The experienced striker recalled his first meeting with Morelos and his fiery on-pitch temperament. Morelos, who scored 124 goals in 269 appearances for Rangers between 2017 and 2023, left many fans frustrated with his frequent red cards. Defoe said on Open Goal: "I thought he was good. I thought this guy has got potential. "He reminded me of Wayne Rooney and his temperament. "When Wazza first came through, he was so aggressive. "I said to Rangers fans, if you take that away from him, he wouldn't be the same player. "He's aggressive, he gets wound up. Obviously, he will learn, but he needs that." Mr Defoe cherished his time playing alongside Morelos, recalling shared moments in the Glasgow dressing room. He said: "He scores goals. He talks good English by the way, he kids on massively. "He'd walk round the training ground and he's got four phones in his hand, he's showing me all this mad stuff that happens on the streets of Colombia and all the other stuff." Morelos' passionate playing style remains a fond memory for Defoe.
Scottish Sun
30-06-2025
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Jermain Defoe opens up on his relationship with ‘maddest guy ever' at Rangers – but it's not Alfredo Morelos
FORMER Rangers striker Jermain Defoe has revealed the "maddest" player he played with at Ibrox. Defoe arrived in Glasgow, initially on loan from Bournemouth in January 2019, before signing a permanent deal. 2 Alfredo Morelos and Jermain Defoe in action for Rangers Credit: The Sun 2 Defoe and Morelos training for Rangers in 2019 Credit: Willie Vass - The Sun He netted 32 goals in 74 appearances during his three-year spell at the club, and was part of the Rangers side that stopped Celtic winning ten in a row. Defoe revealed a lot of players from that time impressed him but there was one in particular that stood out and he had a huge personality. And the former Spurs, West Ham and Portsmouth forward, says goalkeeper Allan McGregor was one of the best he's played with. Speaking to the Open Goal podcast, he said: "Greevsy was the maddest guy ever. "I'd put him in my top three goalkeepers I've played with. "I saw him do things and I was like 'wow you can't coach that, that's natural'. "And plus the times I've seen you drink how can you even see the ball!" McGregor was known for his shot-stopping ability, but Defoe reckons the save against Red Star in the Europa League is "the best he's ever seen". He added: "He was so focused in training, everything was serious because he knew what it meant to play for Rangers. "It was always about winning." Rangers transfer special including Coady latest, why Turgeman move could be off & why Shankland's a no-brainer Alfredo Morelos' reputation preceded him at Rangers with his goal-scoring ability and fiery temperament. Defoe gave his thoughts on the Colombian striker, who scored 124 times for Rangers and received the most red cards in the club's history, with eight dismissals. The 42-year-old said: "I thought he was good. I thought this guy has got potential. "He reminded me of Wayne Rooney and his temperament. When Wazza first came through he was so aggressive. "I said to Rangers fans, if you take that away from him he wouldn't be the same player. "He's aggressive, he gets wound up. Obviously he will learn, but he needs that. "He scores goals. He talks good English by the way, he kids on massively. "He'd walk round the training ground and he's got four phones in his hand, he's showing me all this mad stuff that happens on the streets of Colombia and all the other stuff. " Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
Daily Record
30-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
The Jermain Defoe Rangers ploy that sealed Joe Aribo transfer as England hero reveals Ibrox star who left him gobsmacked
Former striker Defoe is convinced that he had crucial role in bringing Aribo to Ibrox Jermain Defoe has revealed that it was his phone call that convinced Joe Aribo to sign for Rangers. The former Premier League goal machine arrived in Govan in an initial 18-month loan deal from Bournemouth in January 2019, where he made an immediate impact for Steven Gerrard 's side, scoring eight goals in his first 20 matches. That following summer, the Light Blues won the race to sign talented midfielder Aribo at the end of his contract with Charlton, after the future Nigeria and Southampton star reportedly turned down offers from elsewhere in the UK and in Europe to sign on at Ibrox. And while Liverpool legend Gerrard made a big pitch to bring the playmaker to Glasgow, Defoe insists that it his conversation with Aribo that made all the difference. Aribo went onto net seven times in the Premiership in the following season as Rangers lifted their 55th league title - stopping Celtic's quest for 10 in a row right in its tracks. Asked in an interview with Open Goal about the players who impressed him at Rangers the most, he replied: "Joe Aribo. "I remember speaking to Stevie (Gerrard) and he said: 'J, we need this Joe Aribo' so I said 'let me phone him.' "I phoned him and said 'trust me, I'm telling you (that) you need to come to Rangers'. And he signed." Defoe - who recently revealed to Record Sport that Conor Coady IS keen on a move to Rangers - was also blown away by Glen Kamara at Ibrox, who arrived from Dundee just weeks after he headed north of the border from Bournemouth. "Glen Kamara was at Dundee but I knew he was at Arsenal when he was younger," he said. "In the first training session I shook hands with this kid and thought 'f****** h***, that was a tight grip'. "But when the training started he took the ball on the back foot and had these hips. "I then said to the gaffer "who is this kid? where has he been? No disrespect to Dundee and that but from what I saw in that training session, me, Tav (James Tavernier) and Connor (Goldson) were like 'wow, he is a player'. "There were so many players who impressed me, Tav as well." You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Rangers and Celtic pages, and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season. We're also WhatsApp where we bring all the latest breaking news and transfer gossip directly to you phone. Join our Rangers community here and our Celtic community here.
Daily Record
30-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
I'm a Rangers 55 legend and Russell Martin invited me to watch training – fans are in for something special
In an exclusive interview, one of Steven Gerrard's title-winning heroes lifts the lid on what they can expect from the new boss Jermain Defoe has seen what Rangers can be like when a manager gets it right at Ibrox. Steven Gerrard was that guy in 2021 when he delivered their 55th title and stopped Celtic getting 10-in-a-row. Despite it being a Covid-hit campaign, Defoe will never forget what it meant to Rangers supporters. He's played for West Ham United, Spurs and England in his career - but says NOTHING topped that league triumph in Govan. What Gerrard managed to create was special four years ago. And Defoe is now praying that new Gers gaffer Russell Martin can get to experience the same. The former Ibrox striker still keeps in touch with everything that's going on at Rangers. On Saturday night, he shared a TV studio with Conor Coady - one of Martins' summer transfer targets - and urged him to get himself to Glasgow. He's also familiar with the boss, having spent time with him at Southampton's training ground last season as part of his own coaching journey. Defoe would love nothing better than to see his old club be Scotland's top team again. And he's convinced that with Martin at the helm - and Coady at the heart of their defence - that Rangers can emulate Gerrard's team and become champions again. In an exclusive interview with Record Sport, the 42-year-old said: 'Russell is very good. He invited me to Southampton to watch training last year so I got to spend a bit of time with him. 'I knew how his teams played and I'd heard a lot about how he worked. I went in there and, wow. It was proper. You know what I liked about him as well? He's a really good guy so he can connect to players. 'He's an amazing coach and he's already played for Rangers so he understands it. The Rangers fans have something special to look forward to. 'His methodology is to play football in the right way and win. The fans will see a playing style straight away that they might not have seen before. 'Under Stevie and Mick Beale, we had a good way of playing. We dominated most games and won the league in 2021. 'I just really hope that this man can bring those good times back to Rangers. It's going to take time but the Rangers fans know that. 'When someone gets it right at Rangers, like Stevie did four years ago, it's a special place. At some stage, I'm going to message Russell. I want to come up, be around it and watch a bit of training. 'Because it's a special club. That time in my life, I loved. All the stuff I achieved before that - playing for England at a World Cup or in the Premier League - my time at Rangers is the time I remember. 'Those celebrations when we won the title and seeing what we gave to those people, it was the best thing. Covid was the only negative but we could still hear the fans outside the stadium when we won that league. 'The noise and the support we had was incredible. I told Conor that on Saturday - I've never seen support like that before. 'In 30 years time, people will remember us as the team who won 55. They can never take that away from us. I just want Conor to experience that now.' Record Sport revealed almost a month ago that Martin wanted to make Coady one of his key summer signings at Ibrox. The 32-year-old defender, who has 10 England caps, would add Premier League experience to Rangers' backline. Defoe was with him at the weekend, covering the Under-21 Euro Championship Final, and was immediately in his ear about a possible move to Glasgow. And he's convinced it would be a coup for Martin to get him on board. Defoe said: 'With Connor Goldson not at Rangers anymore and Leon Balogun leaving, it just makes sense to sign Conor. 'He's a proper, natural leader. I haven't played with Conor but I've always known about his qualities. I've heard a lot about how good he is in the changing room. 'For Rangers, you need those sort of characters at the club. I loved all the clubs I played for in England and I knew Rangers were big. 'But when you actually go, you fully appreciate it. I spoke to Graeme Souness when I was linked with Rangers. He's an iconic figure in football and he told me how much he loved that club. 'That's why, when I had the chance to go, it was one of the best things I ever did. I said to Conor, I hope to God you get the chance to experience what I did up there. 'He loves football and that's why I said he has to go there. It's the people, the club, what it means to everyone. 'I told him that if he can go there, make a difference, and win? Honestly, it's incredible. That's why they need to get business done now, get Conor Coady in, a guy who's so experienced in England. 'You hear how he speaks on TV, he knows the game and he's a leader. I don't want any other club to get him. Rangers can't miss out on signings like this. 'If we're looking to go in the right direction as a football club, take this opportunity. Because it's a guy who I know would love to be at Rangers. 'When you get players into the building who appreciate being there - even though he's been at top clubs and with England - it's priceless.' Defoe feels proud of the fact he'll always be remembered as a title winner at Rangers, despite only having 18 months at the club after joining from Bournemouth. He said: 'When I was linked with Rangers, I didn't think of it as going to play in Scotland. I just thought, what an opportunity to play at a massive club where you have to win. 'Legends have graced that club and loved it so much they still speak about it now. I still speak to Gazza about it, Ally McCoist and Souness. 'There are just certain places where you think the supporters are special and Rangers is one of them. I had played for Spurs and West Ham, clubs like that. But when I went to Rangers, I thought - this is on another level. 'I thought, if I can win here and get this title they've been craving - people will talk about it for years.'
