Are West Ham or Tottenham better for Jermain Defoe’s World Cup 2018 chances?

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Should Sunderland striker choose a West Ham or Tottenham return this summer?

England’s Jermain Defoe during training

With Sunderland heading for Premier League relegation, hanging onto Jermain Defoe this summer looks to be a near impossible task.

The striker has been prolific for the Black Cats over the past two seasons, netting 14 goals this campaign and earning an England recall this week.

This will have brought into focus the prospect of earning a surprise World Cup 2018 place next year – but to do so he will need to be playing Premier League football.

Former club West Ham are interested in bringing him back Defoe, The Sun report, and considering their striker problems, their desire is understandable.

Sunderland’s Jermain Defoe

Defoe brings guaranteed goals, and an already established connection with the club after breaking through as a youngster would mean supporters would quickly take to him.

But in a different part of London, there is another club who also have a strong bond with Defoe, who could use him too.

Tottenham Hotspur may want to consider re-signing him for a third spell, considering their failure so far to find a back up for Harry Kane.

Spurs could offer Defoe the chance to compete for a Premier League title, and a crack at Champions League football.

They would also be able to give Defoe the opportunity to establish a partnership with England ace Harry Kane, which would surely help his case when it comes to getting picked for England.

Where it could go wrong, is that Mauricio Pochettino prefers to play with one striker. He isn’t entirely tied to it, perhaps as he hasn’t found an ideal second striker yet, but Defoe could end up spending far more time on the bench than he would like.

At 34, this could help him stay fresh, but there is a fine balance to strike when it comes to catching the eye.

West Ham would be able to offer him a better shot of playing in week in and week out, and probably allowing him to net more Premier League goals next season as a result.