OPINION
Nottingham Forest would shock their league rivals if they were able to successfully sign Jermain Defoe from Bournemouth before the transfer window slammed shut.
The 35-year-old forward has scored a grand total of 163 goals in 493 Premier League appearances and has even racked up 20 goals in 57 outings for England.
Defoe is one of the most well-known players in England’s top division having played in the Premier League for many seasons for high profile sides like Tottenham and West Ham.
The experienced forward whose goalscoring record in the Premier League speaks for itself would still be able to be a prolific force in the Championship if he opted to step down a division.
However it is unknown whether Defoe would be willing to do that as while he isn’t a guaranteed starter at the Cherries, he is still likely to get opportunities to play for Eddie Howes’ side shown by the fact he featured 24 times for them last season.
So far in his 2018/19 campaign, he has made a very brief cameo appearance during his side’s Premier League opener against Cardiff City before being an unused substitute against West Ham and Everton.
While his availability is unknown it hasn’t stopped Nottingham Forest putting him on their shortlist of forwards to target, as according to the Nottingham Post Defoe, Nelson Oliveira, Tammy Abraham and Rudy Gestede are all believed to be on the list.
When you consider Defoe’s prestigious reputation in football, the fact he is still on a contract that sees him earn £103,462-a-week (Source: Spotrac) and the positive impact he can have on Forest’ fortunes then clearly his arrival would shock every other club in the Championship.
Especially as it would mean that Forest would have captured a player capable of potentially firing them to glory.
The only question is whether Bournemouth would agree to loan Defoe out and whether the player would even be willing to make the step down.
Therefore this means that Forest should pursue Defoe, especially if he turns out to be open to the move, as his capture would stun the club’s league rivals as they would have signed a proven Premier League forward to aid them.