The deal to take Jermain Defoe to Sunderland in exchange for Jozy Altidore is nearing completion with the agreement of terms that will take Altidore to Toronto the only thing holding up official confirmation from the Wearside club. Defoe is expected to sign a two-and-a-half year deal at the Stadium of Light.

With Sunderland in yet another relegation dogfight it appears this transfer is a course of direct action to help steer the club away from the trapdoor to the Championship with Defoe being a proven goalscorer at Premier League level with all the clubs he has played for.

The signing of Altidore has been an unmitigated disaster with the American international having scored just one league goal in 40 appearances over his one-and-a-half season spell in England. There is little to question with regards to Altidore’s natural ability as we saw throughout his time in Holland with AZ Alkmaar however it seems as though the Premier League just has a rhythm and style which Altidore finds it impossible to tune into.

Defoe has been unhappy at Toronto ever since last summer. The former Spurs forward made the move to the MLS last February with Toronto spending around £6 million for his services. Defoe has struggled to settle in Canada and was looking for a way out of the club last summer with QPR very strong suitors although an eleventh hour deal on deadline day could not be completed in time.

This month it seems as though Sunderland have won the race to secure Defoe’s signature with the Black Cats in desperate need of goals. Steven Fletcher is perennially struggling for fitness whilst Altidore has failed to contribute as many had hoped. There is the threat of goals from midfield through Adam Johnson and Emanuele Giaccherini however it is little surprise that Sunderland have the second worst attacking record in the league with just 18 goals scored.

Despite how important defensive solidity is, it often happens that goals keep teams up. We have seen it countless times before, not least at Aston Villa where the January purchase of Darren Bent for a club record £24 million fee from Sunderland in 2011 helped keep the club in the Premier League with the English forward netting nine league goals.

Gus Poyet will hope Defoe can have a similar impact with many parts of Sunderland’s creative play impressing however there is just a real lack of a killer instinct in front of goal.

Defoe passed a medical on the North East this afternoon and the deal is expected to be completed sooner rather than later. The deal itself is a rather straight forward one with no transfer fees expected to change hands between the clubs. It is a straight player swap with Sunderland taking on Defoe’s reported £70,000 a week wage.

What makes Defoe so unique is that he can spend much of a match having very little influence on proceedings yet he only needs one chance to score, rather like Darren Bent used to during his time at Sunderland. This is an invaluable trait in a relegation battle with games often decided by the one goal, particularly when facing teams in and around the same spots.

Poyet and Defoe are known to have a good relationship with the pair having both been at Spurs during the Juande Ramos era with Poyet a first-team coach. It is believed this relationship has played a huge part in Defoe rejecting the advances of clubs closer to his London roots.

Sunderland fans will be excited that their club appears to be on the receiving end of an excellent deal both in football and financial terms. There is slightly more of a spend on wages but in Premier League terms it is unsubstantial whilst Sunderland are taking on a player who has a proven track record of scoring goals. Defoe has netted 123 Premier League goals over the course of his career and has in actual fact been in good form for Toronto, having scored eleven goals in sixteen appearances.

At 32, there are few signs of Defoe slowing down and when you consider the lack of true goalscoring talent around the teams embroiled in the relegation fight, this could well be a transfer that gives Sunderland a much needed edge heading into the second half of the campaign.