Jermain Defoe has admitted he was flattered by interest from his former club West Ham but insisted he remains focused on Sunderland’s battle against relegation.
West Ham failed in a £6million bid to reunite with their former youth product in January with Sunderland insisting that they would not consider parting with their top scorer.
Defoe’s 14 goals have kept bottom of the table Sunderland in touch with the relegation battle and was much coveted throughout January. His focus is now firmly on keeping David Moyes’ side in the Premier League, as much as he may have appreciated the interest of his former club.
“With the speculation about West Ham, it's always nice when you're wanted,” Defoe told Talksport. “But at the end of the day, I've been a part of this game for a long time and that's part and parcel of it now.
“It was easy for me to see it and just think, 'Okay, that's nice people want me, but I've got to be focused on Sunderland'.”
Defoe added: “I'm totally focused on scoring goals [for Sunderland]. I'm totally focused on helping this football club stay in the Premier League.
“For me, that's the best way to approach it so I'm not distracted. I'll just keep my head down and work hard.”
