Jermain Defoe has revealed that his January 2015 move to Sunderland almost didn't happen, with QPR in for him before the Black Cats.
Defoe joined Sunderland from MLS side Toronto in a swap deal that saw USA international striker Jozy Altidore move in the opposite direction.
The veteran striker would go on to net 37 goals for Sunderland during a two-and-a-half year stay at the Stadium of Light, becoming a hero among the club's supporters.
But he has revealed that his Sunderland move almost didn't happen, with QPR the first English club to try and lure him back to the Premier League.
“I Loved my time in the MLS, but I just missed the Premier League," he said of his decision to leave Toronto, during a podcast with Sky Sports' Transfer Talk podcast.
"I would wake up early every Saturday morning and watch all the games.
“I remember getting a phone call from Harry [Redknapp] and nearly went to QPR. They were going to match the deal I had at Toronto, with a four-year contract, come home, score goals...
“For whatever reason that didn’t happen. I don’t think Toronto wanted to sell me.
“Not too long after that though, I got a text message from Gus Poyet. He was just basically asking if Sunderland had a chance of signing me.
“I said, ‘I don’t know, you’ll have to speak to the club, but I can’t see it happening to be honest’.
“But they spoke, it developed and they managed to come to some sort of agreement, and that was it, I was on my way to Sunderland.”
Defoe certainly doesn't regret his move to Sunderland, having become a huge favourite on Wearside.
But it's undoubted that had QPR been able to reach an agreement with the MLS side then Defoe would have been heading to QPR. As well as being back in London, QPR were managed by Harry Redknapp, who had managed Defoe previously at both Tottenham and Portsmouth.
There's plenty of stories of players getting away from Sunderland like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Benjamin Mendy and Ivan Rakitic. But this is one that Sunderland were most certainly on the right side of.
