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As the year draws to a close, Steven Gerrard's Rangers side is well-placed to end its 10-year run without a Premier League championship.
The Gers sit in first place with a 16-point lead over second-placed Celtic, although the Parkhead side has three games in hand. Rangers' rear guard has deservedly earned plaudits this season, having kept a remarkable 17 clean sheets in 21 games and conceded just five goals.
The Gers' defensive stability has been complemented by a front line firing on all cylinders. New signing Kemar Roofe has been a key component of Rangers' league-best offense, which has fired in 56 goals so far. Roofe arrived in August on a $5.5 million deal from Anderlecht, a year after leaving Leeds, then in the Championship, for Belgium.
Roofe was signed on the same day as fellow forward Cedric Itten, a $3.3 million arrival from Swiss side St. Gallen. At that time, it looked likely that star man Alfredo Morelos would depart Ibrox for Lille. A move failed to materialize, though, but Roofe's versatility has helped ensure his place in the side.
While he had spent much of the previous two seasons at center forward, Roofe also thrived out wide during his time at Leeds. He began his Rangers career playing through the middle, scoring twice in three starts, but after returning from a calf injury he has found himself deployed all across the front line. Roofe has scored 12 goals in 20 games this season: seven in eight appearances on the right wing, three in seven as a central striker and two in two from the left.
Manager Gerrard heaped praise on the new man following Rangers' win over St. Johnstone, saying: “Touch wood he stays fit and if he does then he will be a real handful at this level. He works his socks off, he does everything out of possession that you ask of him, he is clever and bright and he can create and score. He has got the mentality that I really like.”
Roofe has scored eight goals in his last eight starts to go along with two assists, including the pass that set up Ianis Hagi for the game-winning goal against Hibernian on Boxing Day. He has put together quite the highlight reel for himself through half a season, scoring a few stunners for the Gers. In October he stung Standard Liege with a strike from the halfway line in the Europa League, before capping off a brilliant team move with a rocket from outside the box a month later.
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— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) October 26, 2020
But Gerrard also credited his sense of timing after Roofe proved himself an impressive poacher as well: "Obviously, Kemar has scored some bangers this season from outside the box, which is pleasing and I am sure they will be his favorites. But for me, when you have got a No. 9 and you are taking shots, it is important you are in the right place. It bounced off the keeper and if he is not there then it is cleared away. I think that is just as important a goal as scoring from outside the box so it was really pleasing to see."
The Roofe is on fire!
Magnificent effort from Kemar Roofe. pic.twitter.com/GWs9cAk7E6— Champions League on CBS Sports (@UCLonCBSSports) November 26, 2020
Roofe has quickly become a fan favorite at Ibrox and is a central part of Rangers' push to end its title drought. After 10 hapless years, which saw the side forced to earn its way back to the Premier League from the third tier following insolvency, Gerrard and Rangers have set themselves up as the frontrunners and, barring a monumental collapse, could reclaim the championship at last.
