One of the most surprising inclusions in Roy Hodgson’s England squad – for me at least – was Tottenham’s Jermain Defoe. The 29-year-old striker started just 11 Premier League games this season and has been on the periphery for much of Spurs’ season. When he’s been granted opportunities he’s taken good advantage of them scoring 11 goals, but you’d think that his lack of game time this season would rule him out of an England place. But Roy Hodgson was clearly impressed with his goals-per-minute ratio and opted to select him ahead of the more prolific Grant Holt.
So whilst he’s got lucky in this case, his lack of game-time is clearly weighing on his mind. Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Defoe spoke of his disappointment: “It’s a difficult one. I’ve never said I want to leave the club, I’ve just said I want to play. As a forward you just want to get some sort of rhythm and a run in the team. That wasn’t the case towards the end of the season. I’m just going to see what happens. I’m going to concentrate on England and Euro 2012. The most important thing for me is scoring goals and that’s when I’m at my happiest.”
Most Tottenham fans will probably think that’s a fair position to hold. Whilst he has the occasional periods of bad form he’s been a fantastic servant for the club over the years. On his day he’s one of the best finishers in the League and it’s been a little disheartening to see Harry Redknapp so often side with the rather lethargic pairing of Emmanuel Adebayor and Rafael van der Vaart.
So will Defoe look at his current situation and decide it may be best to move on? That may well be the case – particularly if he has a good Euro 2012 and decent suitors start inquiring about his services.
Yes there’s a good chance that Emmanuel Adebayor won’t remain a Tottenham player by the end of the summer, but there’s also a good chance that Harry will seek to bring in further forward reinforcements whilst the transfer window is still open. Wouldn’t that just leave Defoe in the exact same situation he’s in now?
Harry’s been on the lookout for another striker for a while (even going as far as signing Louis Saha for six months last January) and doesn’t seem to properly appreciate Defoe. I can’t help but feel that the England forward has picked up on this by now and may elect to make a move elsewhere.
What’s your take? Will Defoe move on this summer – and should he?
Follow @ThePerfectPass on Twitter for details on all the latest updates and various football-related musings.
Introducing the neat little app that’ll pay you to view content tailored to your interests:
ThisisFutbol.com are seeking new writers to join the team! If you’re passionate about football, drop us a line at “thisisfutbol.com@snack-media.com” to learn more.
As a Tottenham fan,you would think I would prefer Lennon.But I have to say that,althought he is a good player,I cannot say he has actually moved up to that other level as of yet.Than a againg Walcott does on the odd on occassion look the goods,But is not really consistent enough for me anyhow.Plus to be honest he is vastly overated at times..Neither of them are really england material to be fair.and the fact that Walcott has made it.sums up where england are in the world at the moment,when it comes to having so called class players.Rally bereft of anything world class.