Will Jermain Defoe be a good signing for Sunderland?

Former-Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe looks set to move to Sunderland from Toronto FC

According to Sky Sports, former-England striker Jermain Defoe has passed a medical ahead of a move back to the Premier League with Sunderland.

The 32-year-old is currently contracted to MLS franchise Toronto FC, who could be signing USA international striker Jozy Altidore in a straight deal.

Complicated

The deal could be a complicated one though, as MLS has an allocation system, which means USA Internationals must be offered to the top teams in allocation order and Toronto are currently sixth on the allocation list.

However, there was an exception in 2013 when USA international Clint Dempsey joined Seattle Sounders, despite the Sounders not being top of the allocation order. If Altidore does return to the MLS the teams above Toronto in the allocation order may wish to sign him.

Altidore has failed to impress on Wearside scoring just one Premier League goal since his arrival in 2013 from Dutch club AZ Alkmaar. A return to the MLS may just be the thing needed to kick-start his faltering career.

Defoe

Assuming that the complications in the deals are ironed out Jermain Defoe should return to the Premier League in the near future. The striker only moved to Toronto last year and made 19 MLS appearances, scoring 11 goals.

However, he was criticised for his attitude by a member of Toronto’s hierarchy, which has obviously upset the striker. Prior to his move to MLS Defoe had scored goals wherever he played.

Defoe had played for West Ham, Portsmouth and Tottenham, twice in his Premier League career and is currently 14^th on the list of top Premier League goal scorers with 123 top-flight goals. Defoe also scored 19 goals in 55 appearances for England.

Throughout his career he has been a big threat to defences, with pace the key attribute to him finding the net on a relative consistent basis. Fortunately Defoe does not seem to have lost his pace in the last few years of his career.

The move to Toronto last year came as a surprise to many, as Defoe was still on the fringes of the England squad for the World Cup.

The Three Lions had a dearth of strikers and a move to another Premier League club last January could have given him an outside chance of making the squad for the trip to Brazil. The way Roy Hodgson’s team performed he may have been grateful that he was not included in the squad.

When Defoe made the move to Toronto he was only 31-years old and still looked capable of doing a job in the Premier League. Some felt that Defoe’s move to a lesser standard of league was his admission that that he did not feel he was able to perform at the top level anymore.

However, I am sure the new adventure and big wages were probably more likely motives for his move to the MLS. A move back to the English top-flight will give Defoe the chance to prove that he is still capable of playing at the top level.

Struggled

If recent media reports are to be believed Defoe was interesting a number of Premier League clubs, but it seems it is Sunderland who will win the race for the striker. The Black Cats have struggled for goals this season in the top-flight, scoring just 18 in 21 Premier League games this season, the second lowest of any team in the top-flight.

Some cynics may argue that signing Defoe would be a gamble considering his age and his reported £80,000 a week wage packet. However, the Black Cats are in major need of a goal scorer and have been for a while.

Connor Wickham produced a late run of goals last season, but has failed to take that form into the new campaign. Scotland international Steven Fletcher does have the goalscoring knack, but his form is often hampered by injuries.

Logical

Jermain Defoe seems like a logical signing to me for Sunderland. Defoe wants a move back to the Premier League and the Black Cats are in need of goals. If Defoe does eventually join Sunderland then it would not surprise me if the striker’s goals kept the north east side in the top-flight.

Will Jermain Defoe be a good signing for Sunderland?