ALS BLOG By Adam Delicate Bid. Medical. Signed. So finally after years of being linked with him - we’ve signed Jermain Defoe from MLS side Toronto. In a straight exchange with Jozy Altidore, which makes the deal even better. I actually felt sorry for Altidore, it is a hard to watch anyone becoming that unconfident in any profession and I wish him well as he heads back across the Atlantic. But he was simply becoming a liability and the fact we’ve got someone in who promises you goals in this league is an absolute bargain. Now after following Harry Redknapp’s ‘triffic’ mercenary camp for most of his career, the poacher is now on our beloved Wearside via the snowy lands of Canada. So let’s look at the pros and potential cons of the transfer. Well the positives are easy to see. He may have lost some of his pace but he WILL score goals for us, as he has done right throughout his career. Thankfully we’re no longer on the receiving end of this. 19 goals for England. These include a hat-trick against Bulgaria, a crucial winner in the 2010 World Cup against Slovenia, a brace in Amsterdam (although he’s not the first person to get a pair in that city) and a stunning winner against Italy. He wouldn’t have got into the England without his prolific record at club level. I’m sure you remember when he scored five goals against Wigan once for Spurs. You name it whether it was at West Ham, Bournemouth, White Hart Lane, Pompey and even in Toronto, he puts the ball in the back of the net. The man is literally as lethal as a hot curry the morning after. He knows some of the lads already as well - Wes Brown, Jack Rodwell and Adam Johnson from their days in the England squad. That doesn’t mean to say I think the transfer is faultless. Being the perennial over-thinker I am and the fact I contextualise everything, there is some issues I have with the contract. Having a 32-year-old on a three and a half contract may be a risk. It all depends on how he looks after himself I guess, but you assume he’ll decline at least physically during that time – maybe leading to injuries etc. On the other hand, it could also be argued a bit like SKP he doesn’t need to do much running as he does all that metaphorically in his head. His wages are obviously very high but then if he’s a success and keeps us up I think that is justified. The only concern with the money is if he has a bad injury or struggles for fitness. But in all, it’s impossible not to be really excited about the signing. Ha’way Defoe, put the ball in the Geordie’s and many other nets and we’ll love you. Starting with a debut goal against your former side on Saturday, seeing as you’ve scored in every other debut. Ha’way the Lads!
Posted on: Fri, 16 Jan 2015 17:50:10 +0000