Jermain Defoe: 5 Premier League Clubs Who Should Target Toronto FC Striker
Jermain Defoe is reportedly keen on a return to the Premier League this January, and several sides would benefit from signing the experienced striker.
Toronto FC president Tim Lieweke declared in September, per Alex Richards of the Mirror, that his current charge could "get the hell out of our way" if he wasn't committed to the MLS side's cause.
Lieweke continued: "I personally don't think Defoe will come back. I think if he doesn't want to be here, you get rid of him."
Richards links Defoe with a move back to the Premier League, and speculation has increased on the eve of the January transfer window.
But which Premier League clubs should target a 32-year-old Defoe this January?
Leicester City
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The obvious place to start is Leicester City, with David Hytner of the Guardian reporting their proximity to completing a deal to sign Defoe in January.
Nigel Pearson's side have struggled to consistently find the net this season, with summer signing Leonardo Ulloa starting brightly but failing to sustain his goalscoring form.
Hytner writes: "[Leicester] hope that [Defoe] can score the goals to help them avoid relegation back into the Championship."
With a proven Premier League record, at 135 goals in 400 games, per Soccerbase.com, Defoe has the pedigree to aid the Foxes' survival odds.
Queens Park Rangers
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The Guardian's Hytner continues to report that "[Leicester] jumped to the front of the queue for the striker’s signature, ahead of Queens Park Rangers."
However, with a move yet to be completed, and QPR manager Harry Redknapp a master of January transfer business, there could well be some twists and turns yet to come.
QPR striker Charlie Austin stands as one of the league's most in-from strikers, with 12 goals from 18 games this season, but beyond the 25-year-old, Redknapp has little attacking cover.
Bobby Zamora is second highest-scoring striker this season, with one goal.
Redknapp knows better than most how devastating Defoe can be when on form, having managed the striker at Tottenham Hotspur and Portsmouth, and he could be best-placed to utilise the England man in order to bolster his side's own survival chances.
Hull City
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Another club short of support up front this season is Hull City, and manager Steve Bruce recently confirmed his interest in Defoe, per BBC Sport.
"You ask any club in the bottom of the division about Defoe, all of us would say 'yes'," claimed Bruce, who continued: "Whether we can do it financially is another problem."
Alex Richards of the Mirror reports that Defoe earns around £90,000 per week at Toronto, and this would be a significant outlay for Bruce's side.
However, with BBC Sport also reporting the end of misfit Hatem Ben Arfa's loan spell with the club, there may now be room for Defoe's invaluable goalscoring record on the Tigers' wage bill.
Signing Defoe could finally compensate for Hull's summer sale of last season's second-top goalscorer, Shane Long.
West Bromwich Albion
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Beginning the new year with a new manager in Tony Pulis, West Bromwich Albion may face an overhaul in personnel this January.
One name linked with a move away from the Midlands club is star striker Saido Berahino, with the Guardian's Stuart James claiming "Albion may be tempted to cash in on a player who could be considered more trouble than he is worth at times."
This would leave a hole in the Albion attack, with Berahino's eight goals from 20 league games making him the side's top scorer.
A short-term deal for Defoe could offer an immediate fix for Pulis if Berahino is sold, with the Toronto man offering a similar level of movement and clinical finishing to the Burundi-born striker.
Liverpool
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Liverpool have emerged as a surprise candidate for Defoe's January signing, with The Telegraph's Matt Law claiming that the club have been "sounded out over the possibility of bringing 32-year-old Defoe back to England."
Law continues: "Liverpool are unlikely to be interested in any long-term transfer, but a temporary deal may be tempting for manager Brendan Rodgers."
This arrives as strikers Mario Balotelli and Daniel Sturridge struggle for form and fitness this season, with 20-year-old Raheem Sterling serving as a makeshift forward of late.
Defoe could offer the side the goals that they are currently missing, but a move to Merseyside is surely unlikely.
Perhaps a last resort for Rodgers, Defoe is far from the calibre Liverpool truly require.
Statistics via WhoScored.com.
