Those of you unfortunate enough to remember the relegation of 2003 will know exactly why Jermain Defoe isn’t exactly Mr Popular around West Ham United.
And while Defoe has apologised to the Hammers fans on a few occasions since then – he admitted in a Sky Sports interview in 2020 that leaving felt like a betrayal – the stink of a cross-city move to arch rivals Tottenham Hotspur is difficult to wash away.
Especially when you factor in that transfer request.
Not that he meant to, but the former West Ham United youngster might now have played a part in his former employers missing out on one of the summer’s best bargains.
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Dan Neil rejects West Ham United while leaving Sunderland for Rangers
West Ham reportedly wanted ex-Sunderland captain Dan Neil; the midfielder available on a free transfer after his contract at the Stadium of Light expired a couple of days ago.
But when signing on at Rangers instead, Rangers Review claimed that Neil ‘turned down strong interest’ from West Ham – as well as Southampton – in favour of starting afresh north of the border.
Defoe, who represented Rangers and Sunderland as well as the Hammers in a prolific playing career, may well owe us another apology should Neil blossom on the other side of Hadrian’s Wall.
“I spoke to Jermain Defoe, [former coach] Graeme Murty, and [ex-Sunderland teammate] Ross Stewart,” Neil told the Rangers website during his unveiling. “They all spoke lovely of the club and the area, and it pretty much made my mind up.
“Jermain said how big the club is and that it’s a chance to fight for trophies and fight for titles. He said if you do well up there, everyone will love you; football is everything in this city, and he said I won’t regret it.
“He spoke very highly of the club.”
This is not to say Defoe, who scored 32 goals in four years at Rangers, talked down the idea of West Ham.
But for Neil, the allure of silverware, regular European football and the odd Champions League foray at the iconic Ibrox stadium was simply too good to turn down.
Martin Adeline and Jordan James on post-Mateus Fernandes wishlist
As for West Ham, their pursuit of midfield reinforcements goes on.
At least after Tottenham splurged £85 million on Mateus Fernandes – clearly he is not yet sick of a relegation battle – Nuno is not short of cash with which to splash.
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Who the Hammers go for, in conjunction with the arrival of new director Nils Koppen, depends on what profile of midfielder they want. Neil, successive promotions on his CV during spells at Sunderland and Ipswich Town, is a deep-lying controller in the Mark Noble mould; A tempo-setter, a string-puller, any variety of appropriate hyphenated phrases you can think of.
Jordan James and Sydie Peck have been linked, as well, following impressive Championship campaigns at Leicester City and Sheffield United. They are more Fernandes-like in a positional sense; versatile number eights who can contribute on and off the ball.
According to club insider ExWhuEmployee, Martin Adeline of ESTAC Troyes is a priority at this stage.
In stark contrast to Neil – who started out as an attack-minded midfielder and dropped deeper – the France Under-20 international has moved in the other direction. Adeline was likened to N’Golo Kante in his younger days. Now, he is storming into double figures for both goals and assists for a Troyes team who claimed the Ligue 2 title.
Though the fact that Adeline committed the second-most fouls in the division, as well as the most assists, does show that there are still shades of Kante in there.
Let’s just hope Defoe doesn’t tell him to join Fernandes at Tottenham…
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