Why the Time Has Come for Tottenham to Cut Their Losses on Emmanuel Adebayor

Emmanuel Adebayor was once a superb Tottenham Hotspur player. 

That is now no longer the case.

His first season, on loan from Manchester City, produced 17 league goals and convinced the club to make the move permanent. 

Adebayor's reputation for "playing for a contract," which he himself has addressed, did not dissuade Spurs and they eventually agreed to bring him down to London. 

Three seasons later, it is time for Spurs to move on. 

Since completing his transfer, Adebayor has scored 23 goals in 69 appearances. Those figures compare very favourably with his Spurs rival Roberto Soldado. 

In fact, Adebayor has scored at almost the same rate for Spurs as he did during his Arsenal career. His output at that time earned him his big-money move to City. 

Adebayor's renaissance under Tim Sherwood saw him finish as the club's top scorer despite playing just 25 times in all competitions. 

That prodigal period, when Sherwood brought the Togolese striker in from the exile imposed upon him by Andre Villas-Boas was less than two years ago. 

At his best, Adebayor drops off into deeper positions. He can be as effective a creator as a goalscorer. 

In the rag-tag team that Sherwood set out, Adebayor thrived. He could roam about at will and pop up in dangerous areas. His phenomenal goal in the pulsating 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge during that spell exemplified his mercurial brilliance. 

If it could be argued that Adebayor was likely to rediscover that sort of form, it would be worth keeping him for another season. 

That now appears a fantasy. 

When Adebayor went AWOL from a Togo training camp this week, it was only the latest in a long line of distractions that seem to be inextricably linked to him. 

His well-publicised family problems were a recurring theme during a season in which he made just 10 appearances. 

Those revelations have sparked some justified sympathy from fans but they should not provoke a revision of his time at Spurs.

Scott Heppell/Associated Press

He has never been as bad as many of his critics suggest but he is ultimately unreliable certainly not the right player for the club at this moment. 

Not only is Adebayor beset by problems off the pitch, his inclusion would now be problematic on it. 

Harry Kane is at his best when he is given some freedom to move about and is not required to be in the box at all times. 

If Adebayor and Kane play together, there is an obvious clash of styles and that would be detrimental to Kane's development. 

He Tweeted in April that he was determined to play on at Tottenham but the only role available to him is that of a reserve player.

He would, at best, replace Soldado as a substitute and be a starter in secondary competitions. 

His reported wage of £170,000 (via Daily Mail) is not his fault but it is an awfully high price to play for a reserve.

ESPN reports interest in a reunion between Adebayor and Sherwood at Aston Villa. If the story is to be believed, it would provide Spurs an avenue to end their association with the fitful striker. 

Adebayor was a useful player for a very different Tottenham. 

Harry Redknapp's final team was able to use him effectively while Sherwood too found Adebayor's usefulness.  

Mauricio Pochettino's team is a different beast. 

It relies on players that are dedicated to their roles and function within a cohesive plan. 

Adebayor was at his best in the improvisational teams of Pochettino's predecessor's like Sherwood and Redknapp. 

He grew frustrated under Andre Villas-Boas' comparably inflexible system and would almost certainly do so again. 

Pochettino showed with Dani Osvaldo at Southampton that he has little patience for supposed star strikers that refuse to play their role. 

If Spurs do attempt to persist with Adebayor next season, they take far too great a risk. 

They would be far better served divesting themselves of a player that has been more a distraction than an asset.