Jermain Defoe 'ready' for vacant Sunderland job and how fans reacted to him

Jermain Defoe has stated he is 'ready' to take the vacant Sunderland job in a recent tweet.

The former Middlesbrough man was dismissed on Monday evening with club bosses thanking Mowbray and saying it was a 'difficult decision' to take.

The 60-year-old took the job at the Stadium of Light last season after Alex Neil's departure to Stoke City and led the team to a play-off semi-final.

However, Mowbray has now been dismissed with Sunderland sitting ninth in the Championship on 27 points, three away from the top-six spots.

Former two-time Sunderland player Defoe was quick to throw his hat into the ring on social media, tweeting a picture of himself in a suit and Sunderland tie accompanied by the caption, "Old pic but ready for the job @SunderlandAFC."

Defoe also recently stated that it would be a dream to manage Sunderland one day and has praised the team’s performances last season. The 41-year-old frontman took up an academy coaching role at Tottenham last August, after retiring as a player.

When asked about potentially managing one of his former clubs like Sunderland last April, Defoe replied: “It would be a dream to manage a club like Sunderland. It’s quite funny because I remember little things, little things mean a lot to me.

“Obviously I remember all the games, all the players I played with, the managers, some of the great moments like when we beat Chelsea 3-2 at home, the goal that I scored against Newcastle, when we beat Man United.

“I remember all the big moments but I remember little things that mean a lot to me. For instance when I got man of the match in one game I went upstairs to sign some autographs and there was an elderly lady and she sort of grabbed my face and kissed me.

“I’m a London boy, I’m from the East End, have come up to the North East. To get that sort of love from the people up there for me it was just crazy.

“I understand that if you do well and score goals they love you, like Kevin Phillips and all them legends that played for the club, but at the same time when you are getting that sort of love where someone shows you that sort of love that means a lot to me.”

Defoe made a high-profile return to Sunderland as a player in 2022 but left the club just seven games into his second stint.

On Twitter, reacting to Defoe's wish to take the job, one user said: "You also said the same when you came back for one last dance," another added: "You'll only walk out halfway through."

Twitter user Hudson added: "Couldn’t do much worse than our strikers this season I suppose," while Andy Gordon said: "Didn’t have Defoe throwing his hat in the ring on the manager hunt bingo card."

The Black Cats are next in Championship action against West Brom at the Stadium of Light on Saturday after their recent 1-1 draw with Millwall at The Den.