Jermain Defoe is back at Tottenham Hotspur as an academy coach and club ambassador.
Defoe played for Spurs twice between 2004 and 2014, scoring 143 goals in 363 appearances to rank sixth in the club’s history. His expansive career ended with his retirement from Sunderland earlier this year in March.
Along with his new coaching role, Defoe will become a Club Ambassador, assisting with the club’s community projects and working with Tottenham’s partners and global fanbase. Defoe announced it on T
Other than his football achievements, Defoe will be remembered for his support of six-year-old Bradley Lowery, who died in 2017 from a rare form of cancer.
Defoe also received an OBE for his contributions to football and his Jermain Defoe Charity Foundation, which assists vulnerable and underprivileged children in the United Kingdom and the Caribbean.
In what way? Ajax have been doing this for years.
Defoe will be a great presence to have around the younger players. His attitude and professionalism has been exemplary, looked after himself incredibly well and was still playing at 38/39.
All these appointments are political window dressing – sadly
Trophy-winning players do not make trophy-winning coaches. Myth
Gary Neville is one of English football’s most decorated players but was as much use as a chocolate teapot. Roy Keane was useless. Bruce is best known for the diabolical football his teams play. Hughes was a really basic coach. No winners mentality there. In fact Fergie’s best number 2s were McLaren and Queiroz, playing nobodies.
Klopp and his coaching staff had basic football careers at best.
You cannot install ‘mentality’ by way of being a successful player yourself. It is a myth. At best respect from your playing career buys you time from the players to buy in to your methods. The reality is the best coaches coach to mask deficiencies and enhance ability, which wins you matches
It must be incredibly draining to always look for the negative in everything
Fair point, but you need all winners to change a losing mentality…
He’s only at the Academy to gain a bit of experience, he’ll be getting his coaching badges sorted so I doubt he’ll be assistant coach anytime soon. Whether Defoe has coaching ability or not he knows what it takes to be a Prem footballer. This is enough for Academy footballers, many of whom will fail to get anywhere near.
We also brought in Yaya Toure, didn’t we? Won enough to make up for a couple old boys 😂
I’m pleased to see Defoe coaching the kids, always highly rated him as a player.
However, none of these people have ever won anything, have they? You want to change the culture of the club you don’t create a cosy old boys club. Nothing against these guys at all but are they really what we need to break decades of mediocrity?
Even Ole at Utd couldn’t change the culture that had taken hold post-Ferguson, I’m not convinced that ex players and people that have supported the club is the answer, you need a winning mentality…
Liverpool’s boot room all had medals mate…
Powell , Mason , Ledley , Jermaine …………….
Echoes of the Liverpool boot room for sure !!
And it all seems logical too , doesn’t it ??
The coaches are the ‘engine room’ for success , these boys will be united in spirit to bring that elusive success to Spurs . Maybe coincidence with Conte in charge but I do get the feeling that a concerted movement has begun ,fans , players and staff look happy , yeah ?
C O Y S !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
👍
This is a great appointment, good to see us having ex-Spurs players involved in the academy. Mason there too. Powell a known Spurs fan. You have to balance it with ability for the job, but get that right and it can only be a good thing really.