Magpies want Defoe to fill Shearer's boots

Roeder, who was officially installed as Newcastle's 23rd permanent manager yesterday, will spend most of the next month attempting to address the gaping hole that has emerged at the heart of his side's strikeforce.

With Shearer having hung up his boots, the 50-year-old is desperate to recruit a partner for Michael Owen as quickly as possible, given his squad's early return to pre-season training on June 21.

And, with Manchester United misfit Ruud van Nistelrooy anticipating an approach from either AC Milan or Real Madrid in the wake of this summer's World Cup, Roeder will devote the bulk of his energy to pursuing Defoe.

The Magpies boss, who oversaw the early years of the 23-year-old's development during his time at West Ham, is expected to make an initial approach to the Tottenham board before the weekend.

Crucially, Defoe is understood to be receptive to such an offer, given his unhappiness at White Hart Lane.

The Londoner was furious at his exclusion from Sven-Goran Eriksson's England squad, a situation that would almost certainly not have occurred had he not been left out of the Tottenham side on so many occasions last season.

Defoe started just 24 games last term, with Spurs boss Martin Jol preferring to pair Irishman Robbie Keane with Egyptian forward Mido.

With Jol on the brink of signing Bulgaria international Dimitar Berbetov, the situation is unlikely to improve and Defoe is widely expected to leave North London this summer.

His services will not come cheap - sources in the capital suggest the Tottenham board are likely to want £10m - but despite last summer's £16m investment in Michael Owen, chairman Freddy Shepherd insists Roeder would have his full backing in the transfer market.

The new boss has accepted he will be unable to sign a like-for-like replacement for Shearer.

But, by claiming the Magpies' next No 9 would have to have a proven goalscoring record, he gave the broadest hint yet that Defoe is at the top of his wanted list.

"Alex Ferguson has said that he has been looking for another Alan Shearer for ten years, but the scouts can't find him," said Roeder.

"But there are goalscorers out there. There are strikers who score goals and we need to find one to play with Michael.

"I have great faith in Shola, but I need to find a striker who will score the amount of goals we need to be at the right end of the table.

"We will do it. We will find a striker good enough, confident enough and special enough to wear the No 9 shirt.

"It's a special shirt. It's tradition. It's important that we find the right striker.

"We have to find a player who can average 20 goals a season in the Premiership.

"Nothing is impossible. There is someone out there and we have to identify the one who will be happy, who will want to wear the number nine. I know the pressure that goes with it - he has to be able to carry it off."

Crucially, Roeder has first-hand experience of both Defoe's talent and temperament.

When the Magpies manager was working under Glenn Hoddle in the England set-up, he oversaw a senior training session in which a teenage Defoe joined fellow youngster Leon Knight alongside the likes of Owen and David Beckham.

Even at that stage, Roeder was bowled over by Defoe's maturity and his admiration heightened when the pair worked together for two seasons at Upton Park. Significantly, it is a respect that is reciprocated by the striker.

"We had a good squad in my second season at West Ham," said Roeder yesterday, when asked to comment on his unsuccessful attempt to keep the Hammers in the Premiership.

"We had Joe Cole, Michael Carrick, Paolo Di Canio and Fredi Kanoute, but those last two I named were our strikers. They were out for six months that season.

"We also had a young lad called Defoe. We knew he was going to be a top player but, at that time, he was being asked to carry the responsibility of scoring the goals on his own. It was all too much for him, but we expected that at the time."

Defoe has developed significantly since then, of course, and Newcastle fans will be salivating at the prospect of the 23-year-old playing alongside Owen next season.

They will also be delighted at Roeder's optimistic predictions for the new campaign.

The Magpies would have finished third had last season begun at the moment Graeme Souness was dismissed in early February, and the Scotsman's successor insists a top-three finish is not beyond his side's reach over the course of the next 12 months.

"Top three? Why not? We've proved we can do that over a sustained period," said Roeder. "I don't see why, given what we have done, we can't have a similar run next year over the full season.

"We haven't had everyone fit this year. Players like Michael Owen and Scott Parker have been injured and we have still had results. I don't see why we can't continue those results when those players are fit again and available for selection."

Nevertheless, Roeder will still have to function without Shearer. The former Newcastle skipper was yesterday confirmed as the club's first sporting ambassador, a role that is likely to involve him meeting and greeting prospective new signings this summer.

"Alan will be our sporting ambassador," confirmed Shepherd. "We'll throw him through the door first (when potential signings arrive). If they don't listen to Alan Shearer, they won't listen to anybody.

"If we have the chance to speak to a certain player in June, we'd be using Alan. I think we will be using Alan in that capacity this summer. That's a fair assumption."

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