Defoe: Portsmouth Were Happy To Sell Me

Jermain Defoe has hit back at suggestions that he agitated for a move back to Tottenham Hotspur and insisted that Portsmouth were happy to sell him.

After spending a year on the south coast, the striker confirmed his return to White Hart Lane this week but has faced claims that he is a trouble-maker, something he is quick to refute.

“When I was at Spurs last time, not once did I moan or even knock on the manager's door when I wasn’t playing,” he told The Sun, “People have gone from saying I dealt with that situation fantastically and all of a sudden they're saying I spat my dummy out and just left Portsmouth.”

The former West Ham United man insisted that Portsmouth manager Tony Adams was happy for him to leave and had done little to try and keep him at Fratton Park.

“I spoke to the manager and he said ‘J, you can go’ – that’s the truth,” explained Defoe, “Maybe I thought he would try harder to keep me but he knows what he wants to do.”

Defoe also admitted he felt surplus to requirements at Portsmouth and revealed his discontent about having been dropped from the side.

“He wants to bring his own players in and he wants to play five in midfield and one up front,” said the striker, “He showed that against Liverpool and Arsenal when I didn't play and he played Peter Crouch up front on his own. That's what he'll look to do now.”

The 26-year-old also admitted Adams had insisted he was being rested and not dropped, an explanation the striker does not appear entirely convinced by. He revealed: “He told me he was resting me – but who wants to be rested? I’m 26, I don’t need to be rested.”

Defoe is likely to go straight into the Spurs side that travels to the JJB Stadium to face Wigan Athletic tomorrow and he is clearly relishing his return. He concluded: “It was a fantastic opportunity and anyone in my situation would have done the same. My family is still in London. I’ve still got my house here and it’s a massive club.”

--Gill Clark, Goal.com