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Sunderland head coach Gus Poyet has backed Jermain Defoe to be a game changer for the Black Cats as they look to avoid a Premier League relegation scrap. So far this season the Wearside outfit have only managed 18 goals in 21 league games -- the second lowest in the division -- but Poyet believes Defoe can change that. The 32-year-old completed his swap move from Toronto FC on Friday afternoon, with Jozy Altidore going in the opposite direction, and he goes straight into the Sunderland squad for Saturday's trip to former club Tottenham. "I have got no doubt [about Defoe]. I don't like excuses -- I know every now and then, something comes out of me, because it's natural, because there are plenty of things, unfortunately, that happen in football and they can sound like excuses," Poyet said. "Now I hope there are no more. That means that we have got as many players fit as possible, we can be organised but at the same time, we can score goals because we have got a proven goalscorer at the club, so there are no excuses." Having both played with and coached the striker during their time together at Spurs, Poyet knows exactly what Defoe brings to the table and is convinced he has found the missing piece of the jigsaw. "I played with him, so I was on the pitch with him and the training ground every day, and he's a player you want in your side because you know he is going to score goals and then if the rest of the team do their jobs, you have got a better chance of winning," he added. Defoe headed back to England having served just 11 months of his four-year MLS contract with homesickness and injuries having played their part in his decision. However, he managed 11 goals in 16 league appearances for Toronto, and while the Premier League may represent a sterner test of his enduring ability, he is delighted to be back. Defoe said: "I am delighted to be here and I'm looking forward to the challenge. It is a great club and I've always enjoyed coming up here and playing against Sunderland because of the stadium and the supporters. It is a great place to play and I'm really looking forward to it." Poyet has also challenged Defoe to force his way back into Roy Hodgson's thoughts with England by scoring a hatful of goals in the north east. He said: "I haven't talked to him about that, but that's a consequence. If he plays and he's fit and he scores goals, I'm sure that any manager of the national team is going to try to get him. "First, he wants to get back into the Barclays Premier League, prove that he can keep scoring goals, help us and then it's up to Mr Roy Hodgson. But that's the second step. The first one is to get back into business." Defoe's arrival signalled the end of a frustrating time on Wearside for 25-year-old United States skipper Altidore, who managed just three goals in 18 months and only one in the league following his 6.5 million-pound switch from AZ Alkmaar.
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