Former Arsenal star Ian Wright has said that Sunderland ace Jermain Defoe will rejoin West Ham during the summer.
The England international left the East London club in 2004 after they were relegated from the Premier League, handing a transfer request immediately after their drop into the Championship was confirmed.
Nonetheless, West Ham had attempted to lure the veteran during the January transfer window but saw their bid rejected by the Black Cats.
While speaking on the Sun Football Podcast, Wright said, “I’ve spoken to him in the past and he has said he’d love to be able to go back and right that wrong. We’re talking about a young guy who was badly advised.
“The day after you go down, you hand in a transfer request. That is just terrible. He did that because he was advised to do that. His agent kicked West Ham when they were down. I bet nobody remembers the agent but everybody still remembers Jermain Defoe.
“There’s always going to be fans that never forgive you but you can only try and change the attitude of people. And if there’s anyone who can score goals to change the attitude of people, then I think it’s Defoe.”
During the current campaign, Defoe has been one of the few livewires in a Sunderland team, which is rooted to the bottom of the Premier League standings and struggling at the moment.
The impressive form of the 34-year-old earned him a call-up to the England national team by Gareth Southgate for the first time since 2013.
