André Villas-Boas is giving serious consideration to handing Jermain Defoe his first league start of the season against West Ham United tomorrow. The forward has made only four league appearances from the substitutes’ bench this term but has scored seven goals in cup competitions, most recently in the 2-0 victory away to Anzhi Makhachkala in Tottenham Hotspur’s group K match in the Europa League on Thursday.

The head coach has been rotating his lone striker between league and cup games and Defoe would ordinarily be expected to give way to Roberto Soldado at White Hart Lane tomorrow. The Spaniard, though, has not scored from open play in the league and was dropped from the Spain squad yesterday for their World Cup qualifiers against Belarus and