Tottenham Hotspurs have announced that former legend Jermain Defoe has made his comeback to the club as the coaching staff for the academy. Defoe had two spells between 2004 and 2014 with Tottenham. He scored a record 143 goals in 363 appearances for the club. Defoe is also the fourth-highest goal scorer in the club’s history. Defoe will also take up responsibility as a club ambassador. As a club ambassador, Defoe will assist with the club’s community projects and will work with Tottenham’s partners and also the global fanbase.
Jermain Defoe joined Rangers in 2019 as a player/coach. He was a fan favorite at Ibrox, scoring 21 goals and 37 assists for the club. However, due to limited game time, Defoe cut ties with the club and moved on to Sunderland. However, his time at Sunderland was short-lived and he announced his retirement two months after joining Sunderland. Dafoe’s off-the-pitch career has been an outstanding one as well. He is a recipient of an OBE for his contributions to football. He also started the Jermain Defoe charity foundation help which helps underprivileged children in the UK and the Caribbean.
Defoe will assist the academy coaches in the training and development of youngsters. He is going to work alongside another Premier League great Yaya Toure who is also currently working as a coach at the Tottenham Hotspurs academy. Defoe praised and thanked Tottenham for the opportunity. In an interview for the Evening Standard, Defoe said :
“Tottenham deserve a lot of credit. Even before I’d retired, the club got in contact with me and said, ‘When you finish playing, we want you back here, we’re going to help you do all your badges’. That’s why I stayed at Tottenham for so long.”
Defoe wants to emulate Antonio Conte
Antonio Conte is another reason why Defoe wants to make a comeback to Spurs. Conte reminds Defoe of his former mentor at West Ham, Paolo Di Canio. Defoe said:
“One day, hopefully when I’m a manager, I’d coach just like Conte,….He’s a really nice guy but he just has that relentless attitude to want to win, to want to improve every single day. I took so much from Di Canio in terms of being professional, doing things the right way and working hard. That’s always been within me.”
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