Jermain Defoe (left) battles for the ball with Newcastle's James Perch (centre) Pic: Steve Drew/PA

Transfer news: Jermain Defoe looks set to remain at Tottenham

Tottenham head coach Andre Villas-Boas has heaped praise on Jermain Defoe and has insisted that he is only after one more striker.

The striker has been linked with Aston Villa, Reading, QPR and Sunderland in recent weeks but has impressed his new boss.

“He always has this killer instinct,” Villas-Boas said.

“He scored in midweek for his country, scored for us during pre-season and again here [St James’ Park].

“He is showing that touch that we need up front.

“Jermain accepts that we are looking for one more striker because the team is in need of that, but when we have them all together the quality of the player is tremendous.

“I have nothing to do with anything that happened in the past. It is a different situation for him now.

“He is our striker, is playing extremely well, is full of confidence and has been deadly in front of goal.”