Once worth £80m: Sunderland can sign Defoe 2.0 in “sensational” free agent
It’s been a long exodus from the Premier League for Sunderland, but come the 15th of August, the Black Cats will finally be plying their trade in the luxuries of the top division once more.
West Ham United will visit the Stadium of Light on the opening day as Regis Le Bris’ men pray that a victory comes their way to instantly calm the Wearside masses.
Funnier things have occurred on the dramatic opening day of England’s premium division, and with the number of high-profile signings that have arrived through the door, Sunderland will surely be confident they can down the Hammers to start the season off on the best possible note.
Heroes could well be made across the campaign as the Black Cats attempt to stay afloat in the Premier League, with many of the new Sunderland faces no doubt hoping they can insert themselves into the club’s hall-of-fame if survival is secured, much like Jermain Defoe managed when he led the line with class across a century of appearances on Wearside.
Defoe’s goalscoring heroics at Sunderland
Unfortunately for the former Tottenham Hotspur striker, he would suffer relegation to the EFL with the Black Cats. But, he is still held in high esteem for his goal-scoring heroics away from the unfortunate blemish on his CV.
Across those 100 games for the club, Defoe would go on to bag a high 37 strikes in total, with a large portion of those – 15 to be exact – coming during the 2015/16 campaign as Sunderland just about held on to their Premier League status by the skin of their teeth. Without Defoe’s crucial contributions, a relegation would have occurred far swifter.
Sunderland will hope they aren’t light on their feet in the striker department when heading up to the Premier League, with 13-goal hero Wilson Isidor from last season never being exposed to the pressures of the English top-flight before.
With exciting talents from Spain in the form of Gonzalo Garcia and Luis Suarez also reportedly on their radar, Le Bris and Co. could well be better off snapping up an experienced head up top who knows the Premier League inside out to ensure safety is reached at a minimum, with this target one they should pursue if they want to win their next potential version of Defoe.
Sunderland could sign the next Defoe
After all, whilst Sunderland fans are getting carried away about their quick-fire summer business, there is no guarantee that the likes of Habib Diarra and Noah Sadiki will hit the ground running immediately in the tense environment of the Premier League.
Whereas, if he can wriggle free of his recurring injury issues, Dominic Calvert-Lewin should be able to slot into the Sunderland XI and lead the line with confidence in this regard, having amassed a
