Rangers Confirm Signing of Kemar Roofe From Anderlecht on Four-Year Deal

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Kemar Roofe has joined Rangers for an undisclosed fee | Isosport/MB Media/Getty Images

Rangers have confirmed the signing of former Leeds striker Kemar Roofe from Anderlecht for an undisclosed fee.

Roofe spent last season in Belgium after departing Elland Road for Anderlecht in a £5.4m deal. He scored six times in just 13 outings for the club – who endured a dysfunctional campaign last time out – before the Belgian Pro League’s cancellation as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic in April.

But now it’s time for a new adventure, as Rangers announced the signing of the 27-year-old on their official website. The club also confirmed the striker has signed a four-year deal at Ibrox.

Steven Gerrard has made no secret of his desire to find a new striker amid Alfredo Morelos’ potential departure and Jermain Defore’s injury woes, saying after Rangers’ slender 1-0 victory at Aberdeen on the opening weekend of the Scottish Premiership: “There are many other names out there, but I can’t control that. We can’t go much longer with just one fit forward. I want one in yesterday.”

The Gers have also been linked with a move for Swiss striker Cedric Itten, and it remains to be seen whether the addition of Roofe has any impact on the potential acquisition of the St. Gallen striker.

Nevertheless, the deal for the former Leeds hitman appears to be an incredibly smart bit of business from the Scottish club.

Following his 27 goal-contribution campaign with Oxford United in 2015/16, Roofe enjoyed a pair of fruitful campaigns at Leeds after an indifferent start. He scored 25 times in the Championship in his final two seasons at the club – starring under Marcelo Bielsa with 14 league goals in 2018/19 – before going off on his Belgian venture.

Kemar RoofeKemar Roofe
Roofe was Leeds’ top scorer for the 2018/19 season – their first under Marcelo Bielsa | Matthew Lewis/Getty Images

The Englishman was still able to enjoy a fairly productive season in his sole season at Anderlecht despite missing the start of the season with ankle and calf issues.

Now, he potentially has the tough task of filling the void left by Morelos at Ibrox – although Gerrard confirmed after the Aberdeen victory that Lille are a long way off agreeing a deal for the Colombian.

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