I wonder why Defoe isn’t a Spurs starter
Sam Allardyce, the West Ham manager, has admitted in an English paper that he put tabs out this summer on two former players Jermain Defoe and Demba Ba.I think it would be a big coup to get Defoe back, a player who I rate highly but who is finding it tough to get a starting role in the Tottenham team following new signings. He did score twice on Thursday night in the Europa League against Tromso, which shows he still has goals in him. He has expressed concerns about holding down a regular starting spot in the team in order to boost his chances of being included in England’s World Cup squad next year. If I had the money I would buy him because I have always liked him as a player, he’s scored goals wherever he’s been and I think he would be a great addition to anyone’s squad. We need somebody up front, we don’t have anybody to score goals with Andy Carroll out with a heel injury, so he and Demba Ba would be great additions if we could get those two. I would play them both together.It might be said that the club couldn’t afford their salaries, but don’t let anybody fool you the clubs have money but are just very concerned about the way they spend it. If they want somebody they are going to have to pay to get them, but they’ll find the money. Having them will bring more people through their gates.I’ve rated Defoe from the time he was a young boy at West Ham, having seen him playing for the youth team. He left West Ham in 2004 for £7 million when he signed for Spurs for the first time. It puzzles me that he doesn’t get a regular place at Spurs but the manager has his reasons, I suppose. I know he would be a player who would be starting for me every week, I just like him, he scores goals and makes things happen. Once a goalscorer, always a goalscorer.No doubt his value has gone up since he left Upton Park and the club would have to fork out even more to bring him back. The prices for strikers has gone crazy over the last couple of years but if you have to pay £15, £20 million for him, I still think that’s a steal because he scores goals. I think it is important they get somebody pretty soon because you don’t want to dig a hole for yourself where you are fighting to survive.We’ve got five points right now, but if you’ve got a recognised striker up front it is going to ease your worries.Chelsea have plenty of striking options but it hasn’t been a good week for them, losing last weekend to Everton and then crashing at home to Basel in the Champions League, taking some stick from the English papers in the process.I know the Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho expects that, but I’m sure he got enough experience to understand that. If anybody can put it right he can put it right, I have no doubt about his ability.He’s just come back, has a lot of new players and is trying to figure out who are my best 12, 15 who I can rely on week in, week out. Lots of times players do let you down, when you have a plan in your mind on what you want to do and sometimes they don’t carry it out properly. That happens in football, but hopefully they will buy into what you are trying to do and go out and get some results for you.I just put those two results down to a bad week for the club, but as the season goes on they’ll be okay.