Ian Wright: This Premier League goal machine wants to join West Ham
By Dominic Toner
Ian Wright has revealed that Sunderland forward Jermain Defoe does want to rejoin West Ham.
The England international divides opinion with the Hammers fans after his infamous departure from the club during his first spell with the Londoners.
The striker handed in a transfer request just 24 hours after West Ham were relegated to the old Division One and that made him hugely unpopular with many supporters.
He had risen through the club’s academy as a youngster and was given his senior debut by the Hammers.
The Guardian reported that West Ham had a £6million bid for Defoe rejected in the January transfer window as they looked to bolster their forward options.
Meanwhile, the Sun reported this week that they are eyeing a summer move for the striker, who will be allowed to leave Sunderland for free if they are relegated.
Wright believes that Defoe does want a return to his former club and has some unfinished business to attend with.
“I’ve spoken to him in the past and he has said he’d love to be able to go back and right that wrong,” Wright said, as quoted by the Sun. “We’re talking about a young guy who was badly advised.
“He did that because he was advised to do that. His agent kicked West Ham when they were down. I bet nobody remembers the agent but everybody still remembers Jermain Defoe.”
Defoe has been in sensational form for relegation threatened Sunderland this season and scored 14 goals in just 31 appearances.
He was rewarded with a recall to the England squad by Gareth Southgate during the international break and is proving that age is just a number.
The Hammers have had some difficulty with their attacking options this season as injury-prone Andy Carroll can’t be relied upon to be fit all season.
That has meant attacker Michail Antonio has been their top scorer with nine goals across all competitions and manager Slaven Bilic will be desperate for a proven goal scorer next season.
In other West Ham transfer news, they are set to make a third move for a Premier League winger.
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