https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/s...haka-spoke-jermain-defoe-sunderland-transfer/ JERMAIN Defoe has lifted the lid on his text message exchange with Granit Xhaka ahead of the midfielder's Sunderland move in the summer…. "Granit Xhaka was on my A Licence so he messaged me and wanted to obviously speak about the club," revealed Defoe, speaking to Joe Cole and Ashley Cole in the first episode of the second series of the popular Could It Be Magic? podcast. "He said, ‘what's it like?’ I said, ‘you'll love it there, the fans are amazing. It'd be good for you.’ Especially with his experience and he’ll help with the young players and stuff like that. And he's loved it. I am just really happy that they've started well.” Defoe is a huge favourite on Wearside having scored 34 goals in 87 Premier League appearances with the Black Cats. He returned for a second spell when Sunderland were in League One, and although that didn't go to plan, with Defoe surprisingly announcing his retirement just two months after he'd re-signed, he's still an extremely popular figure at the Stadium of Light, cares deeply for the club and looks back at his time on Wearside with real fondness. He said: "It was amazing up there. I remember speaking to Darren Bent years ago when he went to Sunderland from Tottenham and he said to me ‘JD, the club's unbelievable’, like the atmosphere, the fan base and stuff. "I remember my mate Gus Poyet signed me. More recent times it's been a struggle, you know, getting relegated and then you find yourself in League One. Even then I thought, you know what, this club’s like a sleeping giant. I thought, at some stage when this club’s back in the Premier League for these young players to experience playing for this football club in the Premier League, it's something special. And obviously I've been following their journey and to be back in the Premier League now is unbelievable. And what a start. "Honestly, even my time there. I can't remember being at Sunderland when we started the season well. We always started slow. Even when I played in really good teams, for some reason we always started slow. But what a start for these players!"
