Tottenham Hotspur: 5 Players That Improved After They Left Spurs

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This article may not be so flattering for some Spurs fans and it could lead to a bit of self-kicking about selling certain players. I thought it might be interesting, however, to take a look at where some of our rejects (or not so rejected) are now.

Two notable players not on this list are Giovani dos Santos and Dimitar Berbatov. Dos Santos isn't on the list, well, because he hasn't left yet. I expect his departure, should it come, will cause him to improve as a player. Only time will tell.

The other—Berbatov—is debatable but in my "expert" opinion, he improved after moving to Manchester United, becoming at one point their leading scorer.

Because Manchester United is a team that plays at a consistently higher level than Tottenham, Berbatov's performances in United Red will be graded on a curve compared to his Spurs history.

My argument was thrown a bit of a curve this season because the Bulgarian has been forced to play most of his games alongside the aged Michael Owen in the occasional cup game.

Adel Taarabt

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Taarabt had a limited Spurs career before first going on loan and then being sold to QPR.

The Moroccan has been hailed as one of the most creative players of his generation, despite playing much of his professional football in the English Championship. Since his move to Loftus Road he has continued to improve, so much so that the seriously-improved Tottenham Hotspur Football Club are rumored to be considering buying the player back.

But that's a different story all together.

Bobby Zamora

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Zamora, like Taarabt, also had a brief and unsuccessful spell at the Lane.

Since moving on, he has enjoyed much more personally fruitful spells at West Ham and Fulham, respectively. Evidence enough to support this argument is the fact that Zamora just recently received his first England cap. 

He is certainly more successful now, at Fulham, than he was at Spurs but I'm not sure I would take him back.

Kevin Prince-Boateng

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Prince has played so well for AC Milan recently, many Spurs fans are wondering where this player was when he was at the Lane. I don't think there is any question about how much Prince has improved since his days as a Spurs. Case closed.

Michael Carrick

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Carrick didn't have an awful time at Spurs like the previous selections. For the time he was at White Hart Lane, Michael Carrick was a productive, hard working and intelligent midfielder, very much the same as he is now—but younger.

His Manchester United career certainly surpasses his time at Spurs, however. He has played consistently and won trophies with a club that, at the time, was much more successful than Tottenham Hotspur.

Darren Bent

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Like Carrick, Bent enjoyed a decent time at the Lane.

Pretty much the only reason he is being chosen for this list is because of his nearly legendary status at Sunderland. Former Sunderland manager Steve Bruce was right when he commented that Bent could have become a legend at the Stadium of Light if he had stayed longer.

I agree, and for that reason, the Englishman Bent is last—but not least—on this list.