Jermain Defoe scored his first goal in English football whilst playing at Bournemouth against Stoke in October 2000. Nearly 17 later he has found himself returning to the Cherries after completing his free transfer from Sunderland.
Jermain Defoe has signed a 3 year deal, returning to Bournemouth since the 2000/01 season and the Englishman has been quoted saying:
“It’s great to be back and I’m really looking forward to this challenge. When the opportunity came about to return to AFC Bournemouth, I just knew it was the right one. It was an easy decision, joining a top team with a top manager. It’s a great place to be.”
Fantasy Football Potential
The 34 year old was one of the few bright sparks for Sunderland last season and no matter where he goes, he scores goals and this season with Bournemouth we will probably see more of the same! The Cherries have got themselves a brilliant striker, who managed to be in the top 5 FPL scoring strikers with 116 points (averaging 3.1 points per game), which was more than the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Jamie Vardy! This coupled with the fact that Sunderland were relegated is really impressive.
Last season there were Callum Wilson, Benik Afobe and Joshua King all featuring up top for the Cherries. Wilson and Afobe managed to find the back of the net 6 times each, but it was Joshua King who really performed as his hit the back of the net on 16 occasions. It is likely that Defoe will come in as the number one striker for Bournemouth, in front of the likes of Afobe and Wilson, potentially partnering with King.
Last season Defoe started off at 7.0m, peaking at 7.9, but finishing the season at 7.4m. With 15 goals last season, Defoe managed to score over 55% of Sunderland’s goals, in a side that produced the lowest number of “big chances created” and it is quite possible that he will once against start off with a price of 7.0m or even 7.5m.
That being said Jermain Defoe could be a cracking 3rd striker option as many FPL managers will look to bring in 2 heavy hitters and a cheaper option. However, at 7.5m he could be just that little too expensive, but still a brilliant option with West Brom and Watford in the first two gameweeks.
If you have enjoyed this early view of the fantasy potential of those moving teams this transfer window, be sure to check the others here.
Written by Jacob (@JacobJull)
