5 Premier League players who had a career-defining loan move

#4 Jermain Defoe

Jermain Defoe plays for Bournemouth now.

The 36-year-old is one of the most underrated strikers of his generation. Defoe made his professional debut with West Ham, but it was his loan move to Bournemouth that made him a star overnight.

He joined the Cherries on loan while they were still struggling in the Second Division (Now Football League One). And as an 18-year-old he managed to score in a record-equaling 10 consecutive league matches, helping them secure a seventh-place finish in the 2000-01 season.

In 29 league appearances, he scored 18 goals, which set the tone for the rest of his career, in which he would secure a move to Tottenham Hotspurs, helped Sunderland avoid relegation for two seasons and became the seventh highest goal scorer in the Premier League history.

After he set the English third tier on fire as a teenager, the then West Ham manager, Harry Redknapp said that:

"He's done great. I sent him out to Bournemouth to get some experience playing league football and he's coped marvelously. To score 10 goals in 10 games is a terrific achievement. He's a bright lad who's full of confidence. Nothing knocks him, he's a typical goal-scorer. If he misses, he'll be there the next time looking for a goal. He's a kid with a big future."