Tottenham Hotspurs' 5 Least Effective Signings
When Tottenham decided to allow Gareth Bale to leave, they were presented with a remarkable opportunity—to invest over £100M in an already talented squad.
Three managers and a flurry of big-money signings later, the north London outfit sits mid-table with a wealth of talent rotting on their bench.
The club’s transfer record was broken no fewer than three times in the 2013 summer transfer window, with Erik Lamela following Roberto Soldado and Paulinho through the gates (along with a hosts of others lacking Premier League experience).
More significantly, few have proven capable of adapting to the physical rigours of the English game during their limited opportunities, with the vast majority of acquisitions now appearing to be ill-thought-out.
Andre Villas-Boas played the initial scapegoat before the unfashionable Tim Sherwood was given an empty opportunity, leaving Mauricio Pochettino to pick up the pieces and select from a bloated squad.
The former Southampton boss has been all but spared criticism, with Director of Football Franco Baldini being widely considered the most culpable figure in Spurs’ farcical recruitment process (prompting the Mirror's Dave Kidd to suggest his position is under threat).
The international break has provided Chairman Daniel Levy with time to address the issue. He is reportedly moving to poach the Saints’ head of recruitment Paul Mitchell, according to Sky Sports reports.
Mitchell has been hailed for overseeing the Saints’ own reinvestment, with the likes of Graziano Pelle, Dusan Tadic and Toby Alderweireld helping them to a record-breaking start to a Premier League campaign after selling several stars.
However, the question Spurs fans must be asking is: Why only now has a man with relevant experience been brought in?
As Daniel Levy looks to dust off the drawing board, let's take a look at five signings that exemplify the ill-thought nature of Spurs’ buys over the last three transfer windows.
*I’m wary of using the term “least effective” as opposed to "worst," as it would be unfair to directly critique the talents of players who have had to adapt to a new league in such a tumultuous environment. Essentially, it serves to question the recruitment process rather than those recruited.
Best of the Rest
1 of 6
Given the scatter-shot approach of the powers that be at Spurs, there’s plenty of room for honorable mentions.
Michel Vorm, who clearly enjoyed his cameo role at the World Cup so much that he’s happy to make a career out of sitting on Spurs bench, is first up.
While his strange decision to play second fiddle to Hugo Lloris currently looks puzzling, it would make far more sense if the France No. 1 conforms to the Metro's reports that he is set to follow Bale to Real Madrid.
Spurs’ new sixth-choice central midfielder Benjamin Stambouli is yet another strange one, considering central midfielders are in rich supply at White Hart Lane. Youngsters Ryan Mason and Nabil Bentaleb have had more chances than the Frenchman this season, while neither Paulinho nor Moussa Dembele has even started a Premier League game.
On the theme of excessive squad depth, Federico Fazio seems another unnecessary addition, considering Jan Vertonghen, Younes Kaboul and Vlad Chiriches are battling for starting spots, while Eric Dier insists central defence is also his natural position, according to a recent Daily Mail article by Dominic King.
Lewis Holtby, who is currently on loan with Hamburg, also promised plenty initially. However, Spurs typically ran out of patience when his industry was not instantly accompanied by goals.
Christian Eriksen is the one who is universally accepted as richly talented but still joins the long list in failing to fulfill his potential. Denmark boss Morten Olsen has publicly criticized the playmaker in quotes reported by the London Evening Standard.
Indeed, there are but a couple of exceptions. Nacer Chadli and Etienne Capoue eventually managed to nail down regular starting spots after difficult starts—the former is enjoying an impressive campaign with six goals.
No. 5: Vlad Chiriches
2 of 6
When Chiriches arrived at Tottenham, he appeared to be a bargain at €9.5M. The then-23-year-old was already captain of his national team Romania.
As reported by David Hytner of The Guardian, Villas-Boas made no secret of the competition faced in landing the centre-back when he said, "He is an interesting player [who] has been followed by lots of teams. He has tremendous qualities coming out with the ball, and that's what we like in our defenders. He is a great leader."
Chiriches’ arrival compensated for the questionable sale of Steven Caulker, who was then considered one of the club’s (if not England’s) brightest talents. It was a sale that AVB’s successor Sherwood seemed to question when he was quoted by Sky Sports.
Having initially impressed, the centre-back has actually played more times for his country than his club this season. He has failed to feature since being blamed for Besiktas’ late equaliser in the Europa League at the start of the October.
Chiriches' days look numbered now. A place on the bench has been the closest he's come to action since that mistake, leading him to express his unhappiness in a interview with Sky Sports during the international break.
No. 4: Ben Davies
3 of 6
Excitable comparisons might have been made when Spurs signed another young Welsh left-back this summer.
However, nationality, position and a difficult start to life at the Lane are all Davies has in common with Bale.
The 21-year-old is far more defensive minded and, judging from the potential he showed at Swansea last season, he is a prospective rock at the back rather than a rampaging winger.
Oddly, Spurs persevered with Danny Rose—who is a winger by nature—rather than give their £10M summer signing a chance, only being handed his first Premier League start in Sunday's 2-1 win over Hull.
Given the fact that Rose is still adapting to his new position at full-back and is only 23 himself, acquiring another youngster seems somewhat illogical (especially given their vulnerabilities at the back).
No. 3: Roberto Soldado
4 of 6
Soldado is probably the most high-profile of Spurs’ infuriating acquisitions, having failed to even show signs of replicating the emphatic goalscoring record he held at Valencia.
The Spanish player, who we can now refer to as a former international after his unequivocal fall from grace, netted 24 times in his final La Liga campaign but has managed just six in 33 Premier League appearances for his current employers.
That record looks even less impressive when you consider that all but two were scored from the penalty spot. His ineffectiveness has resulted in his slipping down to the bottom of the attacking pecking order, with Emmanuel Adebayor favoured under Sherwood and both the Togo striker and youth product Harry Kane now seemingly ahead under Pochettino.
At 29, it is difficult to foresee a redemption or a significant recouping of loses for a player Spurs spent £26m on to fill the void of goals left by Bale.
No. 2: Erik Lamela
5 of 6
It is fitting that Lamela’s most memorable moment in a Spurs shirt was his outrageous "rabona" in the Europa League.
The 22-year-old clearly has an abundance of a talent, but getting full value from it is proving a real challenge for the north London outfit.
A string of injuries last year seriously impacted his adapting to life in England, but relentless rotation and a confused system certainly have not helped either.
Having scored 15 goals in his final Serie A campaign for Roma, Spurs fans clearly are not seeing the Argentina international even close to his best. His first Premier League goal is still proving elusive.
Lamela remains the club’s most expensive player but is a long way from being its best.
No. 1: Paulinho
6 of 6
Paulinho’s plummet has been the most remarkable of all. He has gone from being a key figure for Brazil to being a periphery figure at the World Cup to being almost exiled at White Hart Lane.
The midfielder has been more bench-to-bench than box-to-box this season, making a solitary substitute appearance in the Premier League.
When Paulinho arrived from Corinthians for a reported £18M in the summer of 2014, big things were expected but, like his eclipsed club record fee, the Brazilian has been left in the shadows.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
