To say that Emmanuel Eboue has had a mixed career with Arsenal would be a bit of an understatement, he was famously booed by his own fans at one point and opinion on him has often been divided.
The fullback hasn’t been much liked by opposition fans either, in fact if it weren’t for a certain Senegalese forward currently plying his trade in Glasgow I would go as far to say that Eboue could have been the least liked player in the Premier League.
Arsene Wenger has always stood by the Ivorian defender, however in recent years he has slipped down the pecking order at Arsenal and due to the emergence of Bakary Sagna he is now more of a utility player, playing fullback, central midfield and even right wing over the years.
Since the booing incident the 27 year old seems to have gone up in the estimations of the Arsenal faithful, it is fair to say that his performances have improved. However due to fewer games it is difficult to say whether his on the field theatrics have ceased or have at least been cut down.
With these limited opportunities however, maybe it is time for the player to move on, he is entering the prime of his career and could really do with more games. He might however be about to ruin all the bridge building he did with the Arsenal fans, because according to our friends at the Daily Mirror he could be ready to switch to fierce rivals Tottenham.
According to the newspaper Harry Redknapp has been a long term admirer of Eboue and he wants to take him to White Hart Lane as competition for Vedran Corluka and Alan Hutton.
There have been suggestions all season that the relationship between Hutton and Redknapp is somewhat strained and that he may be on the move this Summer, paving the way for Eboue. Corluka is a good player and a solid right back, but maybe he isn’t the most reliable performer, the Arsenal fullback would offer good competition and keep him on his toes.
I am not sure how this will go down with Tottenham fans however, obviously he isn’t well liked anywhere because of some of his ‘performances’ on the field, and on top of that as an Arsenal player he might have to be extra special to win over the Spurs support. It is reported that Wenger values the 27 year old at £6million which I suppose doesn’t necessarily represent a bad bit of business, but it is all the baggage that comes with the player that would put me off.
Maybe I am just sceptical, but I just don’t see Eboue following William Gallas accross the North London divide, stranger things have happened, and ‘Arry may well move for a right back this Summer, but I just don’t see Eboue being his man.
For more of my thoughts on the latest transfer rumours, why not follow me on twitter @soccercityjoe!
