Tottenham Hotspur open to legendary striker Jermain Defoe returning to finish his coaching badges after retirement 

According to the Daily Mail, Tottenham Hotspur have offered the chance for their former striker Jermain Defoe to return to the club in order to finish his coaching badges, having recently retired from the game.

Defoe announced his retirement from playing football after a long and illustrious career, turning out for West Ham United, Spurs, Sunderland, Portsmouth, Bournemouth, Toronto FC, and Rangers, winning a few trophies along the way.

He was part of the successful Tottenham team that won the League Cup in 2008, which still remains the last title that the club has won in recent times as they embark on a disappointing trophy drought.

The Lilywhites were with whom the Englishman spent a majority of his career, with the striker being well known and idolised by fans for his goalscoring feats. The 39-year-old finishes his career by making it to the top 10 all-time Premier League goalscorers, which is a massive achievement.

Return to Spurs as coach

Having retired from his playing career, the former England international is taking his coaching badges in a bid to still pursue football. To help him out with his future coaching gig, Spurs will give him the chance to complete his qualifications at their training facility in Enfield.

With former Tottenham stars Ryan Mason and Ledley King both returning to the club after retirement to be employed as staff members, there lies a possibility for Defoe joining the north London side on a formal basis in the near future. 

Having been an excellent servant for the club, their decision to offer their facilities to help Defoe in his bid to complete his coaching badges is commendable. Former players turning out to be coaches for their former sides are not a new story, and perhaps the ex-Spurs star will take this path in the near future.

We have seen Frank Lampard and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer take charge of their former clubs as managers, and though this journey may be some time away for Defoe, it certainly is achievable. Although, a scenario like that may take time to come to fruition, given his current lack of experience in this department.

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For now, we can hope that the retired striker is able to pass on his wisdom and experience to the younger generation at the club, so they too could turn out to be the player that he once was. Strikers are valuable assets to any team, and Defoe was certainly one of the best in his prime.

With Mason and King also on the staff, Defoe would feel at home back with Spurs- if he decides to make the emotional return. Hopefully, he is able to have a fulfilling and rewarding career as a coach in the future as he completes his badges.