Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/USA Today Sports
By DAN KARELL
Jermain Defoe’s future remains up in the air, but it’s becoming clearer that he sees that future away from MLS.
According to a report in the Daily Telegraph, Queens Park Rangers manager Harry Redknapp has made Defoe his No. 1 target for the January transfer window, though acquiring Defoe will mean convincing owner Tony Fernandes to spend a considerable amount of money.
The report states that Defoe has flown to London to try and push the deal through, and says that he’s already had contract discussions with the London club.
Toronto FC have maintained throughout the offseason that Defoe will remain a member of their squad for the 2015 season. Defoe was signed, along with Michael Bradley, last January in a major coup for MLS. He is reportedly earning a salary worth $8 million per season.
A road block for QPR is that Fernandes would prefer to only make loan signings in January, and is reportedly wary of signing players on the wrong side of 30.
TFC already received and rejected a would-be “MLS-record” offer for Defoe on transfer deadline day in September. It would likely take a large fee for TFC to decide to sell Defoe in the upcoming window.
Defoe is coming off an injury-ravaged season that saw him score 11 goals and record two assists in 19 games, but also miss nearly the entire last three-and-a-half months of the season with a nagging groin injury. The 32-year-old forward underwent surgery on the injured groin in November.
————–
What do you think of this report? Do you see Defoe joining QPR in January? Do you see him returning to TFC next season?
Share your thoughts below.
Charlie Austin > Defoe
I guess he realizes he isn’t ready to retire. Good for him and best of luck.
While TFC may be paying him around $8 million he is certainly not earning it…
English star comes to MLS with large contract and massive publicity. Is billed as a game-changer. Wants to leave before end of first full season.
Let’s see, where have we heard this story before?
Oh, yes. Mr. Beckham, I presume?
Now, who was the chief of club management in each case?
Oh, Tim Leiweke? Really? Didn’t see that one coming.
Beckham extended his stay in the MLS, and was well-loved ,made more money off endorsements being part of the LA Galaxy than he did at Real Madrid.and he won an MLS CUP. Comparing him to Defoe, is silly.
+1. If anything, it proves what Beckham is and Defoe isn’t. If MLS were given the option of doing the whole Beckham thing over again (even with the bad parts), they’d do it in a heartbeat. It was a win for the league. Defoe not so much.
I do agree that Leiweke cr@pped the bed a bit on the Bradley and Defoe transfers, and MLS gave him too much credit for being a visionary genius. For starters, Toronto should not be the team leading the charge for these high-profile transfers.
bottlcaps, Beckham extended his stay in MLS only after tough, hard negotiations between Leiweke, Garber and AC Milan. Let’s not forget that after the disaster of a season the Galaxy had in 2008, Beckham was very keen on moving on. Part of that disaster falls directly at Leiweke’s feet.
Diego, I agree that Defoe isn’t Beckham, certainly not in terms of international recognition. Not even Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo are the pop icons that Beckham was. Perhaps no other soccer player ever will reach such heights, again. But it’s very telling about an organization that one of its big stars wants to leave after only a few months — unless Defoe has exhibited this kind of behavior before with other clubs, and I don’t know if that’s the case.
“But it’s very telling about an organization that one of its big stars wants to leave after only a few months”
Hardly.
Big moves in all sports often do not pan out for any number of reasons, sometimes after a very short amount of time.
It is ridiculous for you to label Defoe as some sort of malcontent just because TFC turned out to be cluster f++k.
He may not be the only one who wants to leave but he may be one of the few who has good options mostly because he is that rarest of things, a proven goalscorer who has always scored wherever he has gone.
That’s simply not true in the way you describe it. Becks was strictly interested in loans so he could make the World Cup team. Defoe wants to be transferred and has no England ambitions at this point. The two situations are much different.
In other news – sky is blue.
He’s wanted out since August.
good riddance. what a joke. and his salary is insane.
all he has ever been about is $$$.l He has no loyalty. the little idiot dwarf
why would they even make him a DP to begin with. everyone knows his story.
he the past decade but he was never a world class striker. uranyi or Lisandro Lopez. 8 million a year and they would score goals or maybe Luca Toni
Mr. argh,
In a 15 year career Defoe has played for three teams in England scoring 214 goals for them.
That history hardly suggests the “no loyalty” scenario you advocate. Plus QPR is managed by Harry Redknapp which suggests this interest is about Redknapp’s loyalty to Defoe.
He has also, in 17 games, scored a total of 14 goals for TFC , 11 in league games.
Clint Dempsey has, in 36 games, scored a total of 16 goals.
Lopez in 2013 after a career similar to Defoe’s, signed not for MLS but for Qatari club Al-Gharafa Sports Club, for for 7.2 million pounds which suggests a slightly more mercenary aspect than what you accuse Defoe of.
As for Luca Toni he is 37 while Defoe is 32.
Spin it anyway, is this about being in MLS or playing for the dysfunctional TFC?
Neither, its about Defoe being a nutcase.
Is that speculation on your part, or factual?
No surprise here. Same story for his entire career
Stupid move for QPR, but Toronto FC would be stupid themselves to turn the money down for a player that doesn’t want to be there. Then again since it’s TFC, I wouldn’t be surprised if they did.
There are guys that will flourish in MLS and there are guys that won’t. He will be much better in a system where the stress is much less.
Winning isn’t happening at QPR or Toronto, but it is expected at Toronto when they spend that kind of money. Not so for QPR. Much better fit for him probably.
You say stuff like this a lot because you love MLS parity but there’s no absolutely no way there is more stress playing for Toronto than QPR. That’s just silly.
Just because Toronto could (in theory anyway) win MLS Cup while realistically QPR can never win the EPL doesn’t mean the situation at QPR is less stressful. Plus, at this point, not getting relegated from the Premier League is probably a more difficult achievement than winning MLS Cup. Even you can’t say with a straight face that the pressure in Toronto is greater than the pressure at a club like QPR, trying to avoid relegation.
For a team sitting two points above relegation, with half the season gone, QPR needs to take risks in the transfer market. Defoe is a risk, he’s over 30 and has had injury issues. but he is a proven EPL goalscorer. If QPR can get 10 goals out of him and stay up, its a risk that paid off, if not, and QPR goes down, they jettison his contract. as many relegated teams do. Pro-rate his 8 mil a year and if he scores 10, that’s less than a mil a goal. and far cheaper than many teams pay, and even less than they pay JA.
I think TFC was pointed to a better year until he scuttled it by wanting out. But, yeah, QPR is a joke, if he eagerly wants to go there that’s his problem. Don’t let the door hit you in the ………..
“He will be much better in a system where the stress is much less.”
Whining,
“much less” ? Perhaps you are unfamiliar with the relegation/promotion system in England.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2612515/Newcastle-lost-35m-Leeds-crowds-fell-7-000-Portsmouth-went-meltdown-clubs-dropped-League-One-startling-cost-relegation-Premier-League.html
In short:
“The analysis shows that:
The three demoted clubs can expect to see their income fall by at least £20 million next season.
Crowds will plunge, typically by more than 4,000 per game.
Only five out of 27 relegated teams from the past nine seasons have gone straight back up.”
QPR are in a relegation fight.
Playing for TFC, a horses++t team though it may be, is far less stressful even if they have to face the disapproval of people like you. .
As for Defoe’s money, this would be a short term thing to get them out of relegation and Defoe could provide them the one thing all relegation strugglers crave, goals.
If he can do that then he’s worth the money. Just look and see what it would cost QPR if they get relegated.
$8m for this guy? Wow! For perspective, that’s significantly more than Paul Pogba is making at Juventus. And he’s the highest paid player in Serie A.
TFC would do well to their money out of him. Never keep a player who is not committed to your project and never let them leave for free.
Hard to believe anyone will buy him on 90,000 pounds a week. That’s three times Rahim Sterling’s current contract.
can’t get rid of this guy soon enough. obviously has no interest in being a part of TFC…
+1,000. Guy can sod right off, as far as I care.
Defoe has demonstrated goal-scoring talent and a solid B/B+ resume, but a very mediocre mentality. Never liked the move from the jump — MLS needs DPs who are proud ambassadors for the league — and it has been finding them, The All-Star game was beautiful in this way– seeing guys like Henry, Donovan, Valeri, etc. who clearly were proud to be there was an inspiring moment for fans of the league..
As for the move, QPR is the perfect place for him– a squad of overpaid also-rans, one-time prospects, doomed reclamation projects, and other assorted flameouts . Say hi to Joey Barton, pal.
Sell him. Maybe they’ll depart ways with SWP and he’ll unite with BWP. That’s what I think.