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Tony Cottee wants West Ham United return for Jermain Defoe

Former West Ham United forward Tony Cottee urges the club to re-sign Jermain Defoe and does not believe that the striker will have trouble winning the fans over.

Former West Ham United striker Tony Cottee has urged the club to re-sign Jermain Defoe from Sunderland during the January transfer window.

The Hammers are understood to have seen two bids for the 34-year-old turned down already, but have since requested an asking price from the struggling Black Cats.

Defoe joined West Ham as a 16-year-old in 1999, but his exit from the club left a bitter taste in the mouths of many fans after he submitted a transfer request within 24 hours of suffering relegation in 2003.

The striker went on to join London rivals Tottenham Hotspur but, despite Defoe being booed when Sunderland visited the London Stadium in October, Cottee believes that he would quickly win fans over once again.

"Once he's scored his first goal for the club we'll be singing his name. It's important West Ham get a goalscorer in now because we want to move up," he told Sky Sports News.

"I think he was poorly advised [when he initially left the club], I do believe that."

Defoe has scored 11 Premier League goals for Sunderland so far this season.

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Barney Corkhill
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Jermain Defoe of Sunderland leaves the pitch with the match ball after scoring a hat-trick during the Capital One Cup Second Round match between Sunderland and Exeter City at Stadium of Light on August 25, 2015 in Sunderland, England.
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TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool18143145172845
2Arsenal19116238172139
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest1911442619737
4Chelsea19105438231535
5Newcastle UnitedNewcastle1995532211132
6Manchester CityMan City199463226631
7Bournemouth198652923630
8Fulham197842825329
9Aston Villa198562831-329
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton196942928127
11Tottenham HotspurSpurs1973941281324
12Brentford197393335-224
13West Ham UnitedWest Ham196582335-1223
14Manchester UnitedMan Utd196492126-522
15Crystal Palace194872027-720
16Everton183871524-917
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1944113142-1116
18Ipswich TownIpswich1936101833-1515
19Leicester CityLeicester1935112242-2014
20Southampton1913151239-276


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