Some West Ham fans have been left enraged after a post about former striker Jermain Defoe caught their attention on Twitter recently.
Hammers-related page ‘West Ham News’ recently posted an image of Defoe and shared some quotes from the former England international. His comments were from an interview that Defoe gave to Sky Sports surrounding his exit from the club.
The striker revealed that leaving West Ham was like ‘betraying a family member’. He also called the decision to leave the club ‘a massive regret’ in his career.
When these comments were relayed on Twitter, many West Ham fans were angry. They made their displeasure with Defoe very clear.
He is the only player I NEVER want to see anywhere near claret and blue again
— ?? Rhys ?? (@rhysj39) April 22, 2020
Never has a transfer upset me more. Maybe it was already seeing J.Cole and Johnson leave…the end of that unbelievable academy era was over. Still hurts more than anything in my time as a Hammer. Irons.
— Max Davids (@Max__Davids) April 22, 2020
Would have ever have Defoe back at West Ham?
Never!
Yes, I will
But yet he still did it snake ?
— Nick ?? (@Nicky32_66_COYI) April 22, 2020
Still don’t forgive him
— Lisa Barnett (@lisab88) April 22, 2020
massive regret
little rat can say he was poorly advised but he still did it
and happily celebrated every goal he scored afterwards
rat
— AndyK (@Andyk23Andy) April 22, 2020
Trying to protect his legacy now and keep the job opportunities open.
— Fazzamania (@fazzamania) April 22, 2020
Defoe was a product of the Charlton Athletic youth academy, joining West Ham in the summer of 1999 and leaving the club in the winter of 2004 to join Tottenham. (via Transfermarkt).
What do we think?
In the interview with Sky Sports, Defoe admitted that he had handed in a transfer request at West Ham. Judging by the comments of the West Ham fans, they weren’t happy with that period of his time at the club.
However, Defoe made 98 appearances at West Ham and scored 33 goals for them (via Transfermarkt). This shows that he did come up with crucial performances for the club and bar the controversy about how he left, he did make an impact at a young age – though it seems fans are keen to overlook this.