Someone please make the Defoe rumors go away

Nothing in life is free, and signing footballers is no exception.

As BTH has noted before, signing Jermain Defoe would be a terrible idea. Even if it’s on a “free” transfer, there is no reason to sign him in the summer transfer window from Sunderland, no matter how much the press and the board and fans clamor for it it’s not a good idea.

It must be said that bringing in someone like Defoe is a temporary fix, plastering over the hole that is the striker position at West Ham United. It’s a desperation move, designed to keep the team in the Premier League, not a move to take the team forward. That’s what the fans were promised, right? The move to the London Stadium was going to take the team forward, not just a move designed to line in the pockets of the owners.

That highlight is from 2003. 14 years ago. 14.

Getting an ex-Hammer like Defoe honestly looks like a move designed to make the fans happy, not a move made by a shrewd decision maker looking to improve the side. Signing a player like Ashley Fletcher is a good move, it’s something than plans for the future. That kind of signing builds the side, it builds the team for the future and for right now. Defoe has, at best, two years left of Premier League football. And if his attitude goes, ask people at Toronto FC what’s it like to have a disgruntled Jermain Defoe in the team.

Robert Snodgrass has been underwhelming in his time at West Ham, and the same thing can be said for Jose Fonte. West Ham is linked with two different Manchester City fullbacks that are in their 30s, Bacary Sagna and Pablo Zabaleta. At what point does bringing in players in their 30s from other Premier League clubs start to become a disturbing pattern. The plaster will come off and the gaping holes will still remain.