Jermain Defoe says he can’t wait to start scoring for goals for Sunderland as a return to the Barclays Premier League edges closer.
Defoe was in the North East on Wednesday and is due to undergo a medical in the next 24 hours ahead of his move to the Stadium of Light.
Defoe only joined MLS side Toronto during the summer, but, despite having scored 11 goals in 16 league appearances after signing a four-year deal, he has not settled and has been courted by a series of Premier League clubs.
Jermain Defoe says he can’t wait to start scoring for goals for Sunderland as a return to the Barclays Premier League edges closer.
Defoe was in the North East on Wednesday and is due to undergo a medical in the next 24 hours ahead of his move to the Stadium of Light.
Defoe only joined MLS side Toronto during the summer, but, despite having scored 11 goals in 16 league appearances after signing a four-year deal, he has not settled and has been courted by a series of Premier League clubs.
Sunderland boss Gus Poyet won the race to sign the 32-year old striker who he hopes will fire the Black Cats clear of relegation.
Defoe told The Mirror: ‘I felt so sharp. All that hard work has paid off. I can’t wait to start scoring goals for Sunderland.
‘Everybody knows how much I love English football and I still feel that I have a lot to offer.
‘People might look at my age, but I have always looked after myself and I hope I can show that with my performances.’
The Londoner, who worked briefly with Sunderland boss Poyet during his time at Tottenham, has scored goals throughout his club career and has 19 in 55 appearances for England.
He has netted 123 Premier League goals for three different clubs during his career in English top-flight football.
Sunderland are 16th in the Premier League, just one point above the relegation zone, and Poyet will hope that Defoe will hit the ground running and start scoring immediately and help the Black Cats climb the table.
Defoe has an excellent record of starting quickly and has scored on his debut for every club he has played for.
Having started his youth career at Charlton Athletic, Defoe was snapped up by West Ham United at the age of just 16 before being loaned out to south coast side Bournemouth for one season, where he netted 19 times in 31 appearances.
Upon his return to Upton Park, Defoe eventually broke into the Hammers side during the 2001-02 season - scoring 14 goals in 31 games.
His time at West Ham was extremely successful, with the striker returning 41 goals in all competitions before moving to Tottenham in 2004 for £6million.
During his first spell at White Hart Lane between 2004 and 2008, Defoe netted 61 goals in 170 appearances.
He then moved to Portsmouth, where he managed 17 goals in 36 matches before returning to Spurs in 2009.
A further 76 goals followed for Tottenham before his move to the MLS last year - and Defoe will be looking to add to that tally at the Stadium of Light.
No comments:
Post a Comment