Defoe was offered to Wenger on deadline day.
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Former Tottenham Hotspur and current Toronto FC striker Jermain Defoe was offered to Arsenal on transfer deadline day, but manager Arsene Wenger rejected the deal, reports the Telegraph.
Defoe completed a £6m switch to Canada in February and has since scored 12 goals in 17 games, but following the sacking of manager Ryan Nelsen and his backroom staff the 31-year-old fears he may have made a mistake.
The England international and Nelsen were teammates at Spurs and the presence of the New Zealander in the dugout played a key part in the forward’s decision to move to North America.
Toronto were aware of Defoe’s unhappiness and received offers from both Leicester City and QPR for the player’s services on Monday.
The Foxes wanted to take the forward on an initial loan with the view to a permanent deal and whilst boss Nigel Pearson received the backing of the board, it’s thought the Englishman’s hefty wage demands made the deal impossible to complete.
Meanwhile Hoops manager Harry Redknapp knows Defoe well having managed him at West Ham United, Portsmouth and Tottenham and was also keen to sign him once more.
Finally the Gunners were made aware of the attacker’s availability as they desperately searched for recruitment in the final third following an injury to Olivier Giroud that is likely to keep the Frenchman out until 2015.
However, Wenger turned down the chance to sign Defoe and instead landed Danny Welbeck from Manchester United in a £16m deal.
Toronto have since decided to keep the striker.
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