Sunderland sporting director admits there was “risk” in making key January transfer decision

Sunderland sporting director Kristjaan Speakman has admitted that signing Jermaine Defoe carried “more risk” than the average transfer, but suggested that he does not necessarily regret making the transfer.

Defoe returned to the Stadium of Light on a free during the January window, but after seven appearances and zero goals in League One, the 39-year-old announced his immediate retirement from football.

Reflecting on the decision to bring Defoe back to the club, Speakman’s words suggest he has little regret over the decision.

“I don’t necessarily look back on it and say we should or shouldn’t have done it,” Speakman told ChronicleLive.

“I just think that we make the best possible decision we can as a club that, given time, sometimes they work or don’t work.

“Did this one have more risk? Of course it did, because of age profile, playing history etc.

“But at the same time, there will be other risks that we have taken which were really successful that we don’t talk about because they have been successful.

“Therefore, it is what it is.”

Despite Defoe’s retirement, things did not work out too badly for Sunderland in the end.

Yes, they were light in the striking department, but thanks to the efforts of the whole squad, the club were promoted to the Championship via the League One play-offs.

You can see where Kristjaan Speakman is coming from here in some way.

Sure, bringing in Defoe was a risk due to his age and the way he had not been playing at Rangers, but if it had worked, it would’ve looked a masterstroke.

So often in football things are one extreme or the other, and in this case, it was a really bad signing in the end.

However, could Speakman really have predicted that Defoe would announce an immediate retirement not