After a night of strong negotiations, Jermain Defoe looks set for a return to the Premier League this time with Gus Poyet’s struggling Sunderland. Defoe has been linked with a move back to England for quite some time now, but is a three-and-a-half year deal set to be worth around £14m, a good deal for all parties?
The 32-year-old left Tottenham Hotspur in February, after scoring 91 Premier League goals in two separate spells at White Hart Lane. He made the switch to Toronto FC, but the forward has struggled to adapt to life in Canada, and now looks set for a big-money move to the Stadium of Light – with some reports suggesting the unsuccessful Jozy Altidore going in the opposite direction. Many people will be scratching their eyes at the deal that will cost the Black Cats a reported £14m – but is it a deal that could work out?
Even at 32, Defoe is still a very capable striker – since his move to the MLS, the former England international has netted 11 times in 17 starts for the Canadian club. He has always had the knack of scoring goals whoever he has played for – including firing 19 goals in 55 caps for England. His best years are certainly behind him, and it’s undoubtedly a slight risk for Poyet to make, but if the move keeps the North East club in the Premier League, then it’s a gamble that could well pay off.
It seemed that Defoe was destined for a return to England’s top tier, with a host of English clubs showing interest in bringing the goal-machine back to the Premier League – Liverpool, Spurs and Newcastle United – among others, were all linked with the striker at one stage. Most recently, due to injuries with Nikica Jelavic and Abel Hernandez, Steve Bruce’s Hull City were heavily linked with him. But Sunderland, who are reportedly willing to offer the ex-Spurs man a whopping £80,000-a-week deal, look like they are the club who have won the race for his signature.
Defoe is just the type of player the Black Cats are in desperate need of, with the Mackems having only scored 18 goals in 21 league games so far. With strikers Steven Fletcher only scoring four, Connor Wickham with two, and Joze Altidore with exactly none – midfielder Adam Johnson is Sunderland’s top scorer with just four league goals. Defoe’s low centre of gravity and pure ability of sticking the ball in the back of the net, makes the Toronto forward the ideal candidate for the job.
Sunderland are once again involved in another dogged scrap for survival. Poyet’s side currently sit in 16th place in the league table – after securing just one win in their last 11 games. They proved last year that they have what it takes to retain their Premier League status – the Black Cats looked doomed, but after some memorable results, Poyet guided them to a 14th place finish, an astonishing five points from relegation. With the imminent arrival of Defoe, the club will hope he will fire the goals to keep the Sunderland in the Premier League yet again.
[ad_pod id=’ricco’ align=’center’]
