Jermain Defoe admits he could have left Rangers in the summer of 2021 - but snubbed Spurs to stay at Ibrox for another year.
The former striker is now back at Tottenham in a coaching and ambassadorial role after hanging up his boots a year ago. He scored 32 goals in 74 appearances for Rangers but the departure of Steven Gerrard and appointment of Gio van Bronckhorst was the beginning of the end for the then-veteran striker.
His final season at Ibrox was cut short as he left for Sunderland in January 2021 but he admits he could have left earlier as Spurs offered him a return to the club six months prior. But having just won the Premiership, he decided to hang around for one more season before calling it a day. Defoe said on his BBC podcast: "I got a phone call from Donna at Spurs. She basically asked what was my situation at Rangers, was I going to sign a new contract or finish playing.
"She said 'we'd love to have you back home', those were her exact words. She said we'd love to have you in a coaching or ambassador role or whatever you want to do, we want to help you with that transition. I said to her 'I'm going to play for one more year, and at the end of the year, we'll have another conversation.'
"That was it really. The opportunity was there for me. It was tough finishing but there was something there to look forward to. It's a nice feeling, to be wanted, and like I said it helps. I do understand it's tough when you finish playing, you don't know what to do next, but to be given the opportunity to go into coaching was massive."
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