A Return To Bournemouth Could Be Just The Ticket For Jermain Defoe

It has been revealed that Jermain Defoe can leave Sunderland on a free transfer this summer as his contract has a relegation clause inserted into it.

Speculation is now rife about where the striker could be playing his football next season.

The two frontrunners seem to be clubs that shaped his future in the game; West Ham United and A.F.C Bournemouth.

Personally I think Defoe would be better off turning down the temptation of returning to London and instead plump for life on the South Coast.

Defoe spent a season on loan with the Cherries when he was a teenager and he scored eighteen league goals in twenty-nine appearances there.

So why do I think he should return?

Well I think continuity and stability could be a key factor. At Bournemouth you almost get the feeling that manager Eddie Howe is in the hot-seat at Dean Court for as long as he wants to be.

Whereas at West Ham, people are already talking about the board replacing Slaven Bilic. The Hammers Obviously have plenty of ambition but at times their twitchy trigger finger when it comes to sacking bosses and their scattergun approach in the transfer market makes you think that they don’t have a long-term plan.

At Sunderland, Defoe has been the main man and that means the striker plays regularly. In all honesty Bournemouth will offer him that same untouchable status, while West Ham will probably have more competition.

The regular football has benefited the veteran hitman and even in his mid-thirties, Defoe is still playing over thirty top-flight league games a season and scoring in the region of fifteen league goals too. Surely he’ll be looking to join a club that offers him a promise of first team football.

Jermain will also be thinking about next year’s World Cup in Russia. The ageing attacker has managed to get himself back into Gareth Southgate’s England set-up and he’ll only stay there if he’s playing week in, week out and scoring goals.

According to the Daily Mirror today, Bournemouth are ready to show their commitment in making Defoe their star striker by offering him a two year deal worth around £100k a week. That will be a very tempting deal for the English hitman.

I would also imagine that Jermain Defoe would like the chance to enhance the forwards that are already at Dean Court. Players like Joshua King, Callum Wilson and Benik Afobe would benefit big time in learning from Defoe whether it be on the pitch or at the training ground.

Eddie Howe wants to get his Bournemouth side into the English Premier League’s top ten and bringing in a player like Defoe would certainly help him in achieving that goal.

For the player the chance of being the team’s main attacking focus, getting plenty of game time and working with a solid, committed squad could be the best way to prolong his excellent goalscoring career.

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