DEFOE EXCLUSIVE
It was sad ending but my time with Sunderland was so special I wasn’ t friends with Bradley for awards or recognition, he was in my heart Why Chris Coleman–and Joel Asoro – can help save club from another relegation
Within days of Jermain Defoe arriving, Gus Poyet said that Sunderland felt like a different club.
The Uruguayan had cut a disconsolate figure for much of the season, reeling from the failure to land Fabio Borini or any significant striking reinforcements.
Defoe’s arrival transformed his mood. Now he had Jermain Defoe, there could be no more excuses.
He texted Jermain as a deal was being thrashed out to gauge his thoughts on the upcoming relegation battle. Defoe was unequivocal. Sunderland could do it.
That was Defoe all over. Absolute self-confidence, an ebullience that was never dimmed by Sunderland’s perennial struggle. Twice it saved them from the drop.
It took him just three games to get off the mark, spinning away from the Burnley defence and finding space to tap home a crucial goal.
The next was even better, picking up the ball just past the Liberty Stadium halfway line, advancing carefully but quickly.
Waiting for his moment, then, with just two touches, taking his marker out of the game and firing into the far corner.
He had everything the Sunderland support relishes in a centre-forward, a swagger and a speed of thought far surpassing opposition defenders.
Given the incredible journey he went on, it seems remarkable that he arrived amid doubts over the length of the deal given to a player who had been plying his trade in the MLS and was now into his 30s.
Back in the North East to pick up his Personality of the Year award from the Football Writers’ Association, he baulks at suggestions that people might have wondered whether Sunderland would get the same Jermain Defoe. He knew what Sunderland fans wanted in their main man and he knew he had it.
“People knew,” he said. “People knew to expect goals.
“I remember the phone call like it was yesterday. Gus Poyet said to me ‘JD, do you think we’ve got a chance?’ I said, ‘yeah, of course we have’.
“I looked at the squad and thought it was good, a big club, I thought, do you know what, if I go there and score goals it will be crazy.
“I remember speaking to Darren Bent and he said ‘JD, the fans are unbelievable, you’ll never experience anything like it.’ I thought about Kevin Phillips and the way the fans loved him, so it was an easy decision really.
“I came from Toronto and just thought I could help keep them up and hopefully go on to have a good career there.
“When I look back now it was just brilliant. It was a sad ending with the relegation, but a special time.”
As it happened Defoe alone was not enough to resuscitate Poyet’s flatlining regime, but the judgement in bringing him to the North East was sound.
He would go on to join the pantheon of red-and-white striking greats, but his return to the region was a reminder of how his status was elevated well beyond the 37 crisp finishes he brought on the pitch.
His time here will forever be synonymous with Bradley Lowery’s incredible journey and story, and the annual FWA dinner featured a moving and memorable tribute to Defoe’s ‘best friend’.
“I was never going to miss this,” Defoe admitted. “When I look back now, the whole situation with Bradley, it was a special thing that happened.
“You don’t do it for recognition or awards, you do it because he was in your heart. It was such a good feeling spending time with him.”
Many are reluctant to make the move up north but Defoe, still as enthusiastic about the game as he ever was, relished his role as talisman and icon in a region where football still quickens the pulse like nothing else.
There is, undoubtedly, something of a sadness to seeing both Defoe and Jordan Pickford pick up their awards.
Already, the Premier League era and the raw quality they demonstrated feels a lifetime ago.
Defoe is fighting for his place at Bournemouth, returning to action from an injury on Saturday as they rescued a point against Newcastle United.
He didn’t score, but it is no coincidence that the fight back began within just seven minutes of his introduction. Holding court at the FWA event, Rafa Benitez was in no doubt that Defoe’s arrival changed the game. The goals have not quite flowed, but the presence and movement is just as good.
There is genuine disappointment when Defoe discusses Sunderland’s plight but just as he always did, he backs them to come good.
“I spoke to Chris Coleman, he’s a really good guy,” he says.
“I’ve always admired him for what he’s done at club level and at international level. He’s got all the experience they need.
“You’ve got the young boys coming through and they’re doing well, but it is difficult and a lot of pressure.
“They just have to stay up and then properly rebuild under this manager. It is a sad situation, but they just need a few wins. It sounds easy, but they can do it.”
Replacing Defoe has proved as difficult as expected.
Lewis Grabban had that ruthless streak in front of goal but in truth, the Sunderland support never truly took to him.
The baton has now been passed to young Joel Asoro, an almighty challenge, but in the Swede there is unmistakably the same swagger and self-confidence that helped Defoe launch and sustain his career, even in the moments when his star faded.
Defoe is an admirer, right from the first moment Asoro began to turn heads on the Academy of Light turf.
“When I came up for the Bradley Lowery Gala Ball last weekend, I went to the training ground to see everyone, just because it had been such a special time for me up here.
“I just said to Joel, keep being yourself. To see how he’s grown and matured since I left is really nice. I always knew he would get an opportunity at some stage and do well.
“I remember the first time he trained with us, he played against Younes Kaboul and Younes turned to me and said, ‘who is this kid?’. He was so sharp.
“I’m happy for the young lads, it has been a blessing in disguise for them and hopefully, if they get back to the Premier League in the future, the experience they’ll have will be really special.”
“I thought about Kevin Phillips and the way the fans loved him, so it was an easy decision.”
Sunderland’s time in the Premier League was often acrimonious, but there were special moments and Defoe was at the heart of many of them.
Goals against Newcastle United and Chelsea may even be the two most memorable in the Stadium of Light era.
Defoe knew he’d score goals, and knew he could be worthy heir to the exploits of Phillips, Bent et al.
For all that unshakeable self-belief, not even he could have envisaged how much his exploits would mean to a city and a football club.
“It’s a different kind of love up here, isn’t it? It’s nice to be back. It’s a special place.
For strikers like Defoe, it always will be.