To conclude our ‘who needs to go’ week here in the Football Transfer Tavern, the landlord and punters are this evening concentrating on Tottenham Hotspur and the deadwood that needs to be cleared in order to make way for fresh faces.
Spurs have already began their summer spending of course, bringing in FC Koln’s Austrian international centre back Kevin Wimmer while a deal for Burnley’s impressive right back Kieran Trippier also looks moments from completion.
While Tottenham fans will be delighted to see Mauricio Pochettino strengthening his defence so quickly, they know that the rebuilding job doesn’t stop there and would like their Argentine boss to add a top striker this summer, not to mention another midfielder and possibly another centre back.
It will again prove tough for Tottenham to break into the top four again in 2015/16 with competition harder than ever before to qualify for the Champions League.
Despite failing to qualify for Europe’s elite competition, a fifth-placed finish in Pochettino’s first season at the club isn’t a bad attamept by any stretch of the imagination and with the manager able to bring in his own players this summer, not to mention the goals of Harry Kane, Spurs might be able to get the job done next term.
Before Spurs bring in any more new faces, perhaps we’ll see a few disappear through the exit door however. Here, we have identified five Tottenham players who Spurs fans would rather not see at White Hart Lane come the start of the new season.
[ffc-gallery]
Click on the image below to reveal the 5 Tottenham stars Spurs fans want rid of this summer.
[/ffc-gallery]
Paulinho
Whatever which way you look at it, the signature of Paulinho from Corinthians in 2013 has proved to be an absolute disaster.
A flop signing in every regard, for whatever reason, the Brazilian international just hasn’t been able to find his best form in England.
We say Brazilian international but he is nowhere near Dunga’s plans at international level at present having lost his place for the Selecao ever since their shameful World Cup exit at the hands of Germany.
This tells you all you need to know about the lack of impact the player has made at White Hart Lane and two seasons on since signing, what can Spurs fans really say he has gone on to achieve?
Tottenham fans are no longer prepared to play the waiting game in regards to Paulinho coming good and their feelings about the Brazilian took an even further nosedive back at Burnley nearer the end of the season where he simply played the ball out of a touch when it was supposed to be a pass.
Simply not good enough.
Roberto Soldado
Much like Paulinho, another completely underwhelming signing brought in as part of that lavish spending spree of 2013 following Gareth Bale’s sale is Roberto Soldado.
It all started so well for the former Spanish international who grabbed a debut goal in the first game of the 2013/14 season against Crystal Palace from the penalty spot but ever since that day, he has only gone on to register just six more goals in the Premier League. Six!
And all from a man who cost a whopping £26 million!
The fact of the matter is that our Spurs faithful haven’t known whether to laugh or cry when watching Soldado’s performances over the last couple of seasons with the former lethal striker simply going to pot when in front of goal.
A series of gaffes and missed opportunities have failed to truly endear him to the White Hart Lane crowd despite a section of them staying on side while remaining patient with their big money import.
When you consider Harry Kane banged in 21 league goals last term, the bar has well and truly been set by their academy product and now this has been done, whenever he isn’t around and Soldado is called upon, things just aren’t the same.
Tottenham need to ship out and bring in a ready-made replacement such as Aston Villa’s Christian Benteke to lighten the scoring burden off Kane.
Vlad Chiriches
We’re sorry but a pattern seems to be emerging here.
Another player brought to White Hart Lane in that infamous summer of 2013, Vlad Chiriches is another who Spurs fans can’t really say has grasped his opportunity with the Lilywhites with both hands.
A capable defender on his day, his day simply hasn’t come so regularly enough in the two seasons he has been in North London so far.
Having been deployed at both centre back and full back, Chiriches is prone to the old error or two and was sent off in a crushing 3-0 defeat away to Stoke City back in May prompting Spurs fans to think just what runs through a players’ mind when they’re already on a booking.
Spurs fans have grown used to higher quality defenders down the years such as Ledley King and Michael Dawson (nearer the start of his Spurs spell) so to see the likes of Chiriches come in and replace them with the type of performances he’s offering, it’s quite hard to take.
Emmanuel Adebayor
Tottenham fans have long forgot that he used to play for Arsenal but following the conclusion of the 2014/15 campaign, they may be recalling that fact after they endured a stormy relationship with Emmanuel Adebayor over the course of the season.
The Togolese striker aimed the first shot at Lilywhites fans following a home defeat to Stoke City in claiming that it was becoming harder and harder to play at White Hart Lane given the fans’ frustrations.
Tottenham fans didn’t really buy this jibe at all, clearly entitled to voice their own opinions at home games, especially home games in which they see their club losing to the likes of Stoke!
Ever since then, Mauricio Pochettino took the heat off Adebayor by dropping him out of the starting line-up but to be honest, the form of Harry Kane meant his exploits weren’t really required anyway.
Fast forward to the end of 2014/15 and Adebayor saw a January loan switch to Spurs’ London rivals West Ham United blocked by Daniel Levy and as for now, he is still at the club as vice-captain with no real transfer speculation over his future.
Time to move him on Spurs fans?
Etienne Capoue
We finish our five-man shortlist with a player who Tottenham fans may be forgetting even still plays at their club!
Spurs fans haven’t seen former French international Etienne Capoue perform on the pitch since January with the defensive midfielder having endured another serious injury that limited him to just 16 appearances in all competitions in 2014/15.
In all honesty, not many Tottenham fans missed him that much either after Ryan Mason and Nabil Bentaleb formed something of an improving partnership under Pochettino for the majority of the campaign.
When you consider Premier League new boys Watford are reportedly interested in landing Capoue for next season, this tells you everything you need to know about his White Hart Lane career to date.
Capoue has been as ineffective as Paulinho when on the pitch and when you consider he looked a truly impressive signing when brought into the club in 2013, Tottenham fans look on his situation more in disappointment than any other emotion.
