Jermaine Defoe must be feeling pretty stupid. It was all going so well; a great finisher who couldn’t reach his full potential at White Hart Lane makes a career move to come and play at a smaller club and show the world what he has. Scores at a good rate and gets himself back in the England squad. Throws a hissy fit when Tony wants to play defensively away to the big boys. Follows Harry back to the Lane, first choice alongside Pavlyuchenko and the fans darling to boot.
But now Robbie Keane is back, and ‘Arry’s ‘appy; “We have got four good strikers now, which is the key, and I do not see playing Robbie and JD [Defoe] together will be a problem.” Really Harry? Would you honestly leave your big Russian bulldozer, or even Darren Bent, on the bench to play little and little up top? I somehow doubt it.
Redknapp has just named Keane captain, so he’s a given to start, and with Pavlyuchenko’s qualities matching the deficiencies that hampered Keane at Liverpool quite so well it’s hard to see past those two as the first choice partnership.
So not only have Tottenham apparently gone back in time, so has Defoe. Just like in his last stint at Spurs he appears destined to spend his time on the bench behind Robbie Keane and his ideal partner. Talent wasted, ignored by Capello, blah blah etc.
That said, it’s not the sort of problem Tottenham, the fans love for Defoe aside, will really mind having. As Harry himself said, they have four good strikers. So unlike many clubs around them in the league, when one of their major goal threats breaks his foot there is no need to panic. Defoe can be replaced by a man with a superior all round game, and the link-up skills to get the best of out Pavlyuchenko’s goal-scoring instincts. None of this even mentions the fact that Darren Bent, the club’s top scorer this season, is back to waiting in the wings in fourth place. Whatever people think about Bent’s ability, he’s hardly a bad man to have waiting fourth in the queue. I’d swap him for Nicklas Bendtner any day of the week.
So while it’s very much Tottenham’s gain, it’s also very much Jermaine Defoe’s loss. Maybe Harry will rotate, maybe I’m wrong and Keane and Defoe could play up front together, but all the evidence stands to the contrary. So with Keane skipper, once again Defoe is the man far too talented to be sitting glumly on the bench while Keane and his partner in crime bang in the goals.
You should have stayed at Portsmouth Jermaine, they actually need you.
