Spurs backup player wants starting place.
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Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe is not content to be labelled an ‘impact sub’ for his club, insisting he would prefer to be starting games and playing 90 minutes on a regular basis.
In an interview with BBC Sport, the 30-year-old admitted that he can read the game to good effect from the bench in order to influence the flow of a match when brought on, but it’s not a role he is happy to do all season long.
Defoe has been at White Hart Lane for the majority of his career, and has enjoyed mixed spells of success and spells on the fringes of the team, which initially led to him joining Portsmouth in the 2007/08 season, before his fine form at Fratton Park earned him a return to the north London outfit.
After only managing 11 Premier League goals last season, Spurs manager Andre Villas-Boas was keen to bring in a new striker this summer, and £26m signing Roberto Soldado is now the Portuguese coach’s first choice upfront, while other forward players continue to be linked with the club as potential targets for January.
However, Defoe has stated his ambition to claim a starting spot for the side, as he feels he is more than just a player who can make an impact as a substitute.
“I don’t want to be sitting on the bench and being an impact player,” he said. “Because at the end of the day you want to start games and by the time you come on you can’t make the impact that you’d like to make.
“You want to play every game, you want to start games. You might come off the bench and score one goal, but you might start the game, play 90 minutes and score two. I’d rather do that.”