Tottenham Hotspur: 10 Fringe Players They Need to Sell

It's been made clear by chairman Daniel Levy that Tottenham will not be able to make any big-name, big-money signings until they start to clear out their unneeded "fringe" players first.

For a long time Tottenham have had to put up with players like David Bentley and Robbie Keane taking up significant amounts of the wage bill—only for them not to play.

So far, in the past, Tottenham have only managed to loan these players out during the transfer window, perhaps shedding some of the wage bill responsibility, but not permanently.

With the new rule from the Premier League that came into effect last season (in which squads can contain no more than 25 players older than 21), then it's even more important for the club to offload these players.

So here it is: a list of the 10 players Harry Redknapp must sell this summer in order for the club to move forward.

David Bentley

Age: 26

Position: Right Midfield

Nationality: English

Whatever happened to David Bentley? With a career that once promised so much, a big signing fee and a stunning "stick it to the man" goal against former club Arsenal, he's now sitting in the club reserves.

His value has definitely gone down, and like many players on this list, if his value is low enough he could make for a good signing for one of the Premier League newboys.

Robbie Keane

Age: 31

Position: Striker

Nationality: Irish

It should be remembered that Robbie Keane was once a very popular player at Tottenham. In fact, in the past his career reached heights of playing for Inter Milan. It's safe to suggest now, though, that he may finally be getting to his "sell by date."

He'd probably still be a good addition to a smaller club, perhaps in the championship, but as his time with West Ham showed, he's just not the same player anymore.

Ben Alnwick

Age: 24

Position: Goalkeeper

Nationality: English

With the recent signing of Brad Friedel, Spurs have three goalkeepers now all ahead of Ben Alnwick. At 24, it's very unlikely that Alnwick will prove himself to the club now, so it's probably best he were let go permanently.

If all three goalkeepers ahead of him did get injured or were unavailable, then it would probably be more sensible to either promote a youth player who's been doing a good job for the reserves or apply for an emergency loan from the Premier League.

Wilson Palacios

Age: 26

Position: Midfielder

Nationality: Honduran

There was a time when Wilson Palacios was a key player in the middle of a strong Tottenham midfield. But in that ever-improving midfield line up, he was soon pushed down the pecking order by new signings.

With Sandro and Tom Huddlestone both being the favourites for that slightly defensive "midfield anchor" player, Palacios has little chance of regularly breaking into the starting XI these days, so it's probably best for him to move to somewhere he can.

Giovani Dos Santos

Age: 22

Position: Attacking Midfielder / Second Striker

Nationality: Mexican

It's gotten many people wondering why Harry Redknapp has never really tried Giovani dos Santos in the Premier League that much as his performances on loan and internationally have all been very good.

Having not been given a chance for so long now though, it seems unlikely Redknapp will change his mind despite Giovani's Gold Cup performances. For that reason it's probably best he finds a new team to develop with as he still has youth on his side.

Sebastien Bassong

Age: 25

Position: Centre Back

Nationality: French-born Cameroonian

The Cameroonian centre back did have some good periods at Tottenham and he's by no means a bad player whatsoever, but he's managed to slip behind most of the other centre backs at Tottenham in the pecking order.

While Tottenham are looking to sign a new strong, commanding centre back, it would make sense to sell Bassong before paying out to secure a new defender.

Niko Kranjcar

Age: 26

Position: Attacking Midfielder, Winger

Nationality: Croatian

It's a bit of a surprise that Niko Kranjcar's on this list because he is clearly a good enough player to at least occasionally play for Tottenham. Although there's a lot of competition for places in midfield, Kranjcar proved his value with two late winners when he was given a chance last season.

For his sake, though, it's probably best he leaves the club, following his lack of first-team action that he arguably deserves, it'd be best for his career to move on to a club that appreciates him.

Jermaine Jenas

Age: 28

Position: Midfield

Nationality: English

He's been quite a solid player for Tottenham when he has played over the past few years—although nothing spectacular enough to get him regular England call ups—and Jermaine Jenas has been a welcome addition to the Spurs squad.

But that's just the problem. He's been a welcome addition to the Spurs squad, not the Spurs XI. If the club are serious about their top-four aspirations they need all their player to be able to force their way into the starting XI.

Jake Livermore

Age: 21

Position: Midfield

Nationality: English

Although born in Enfield and a home-grown talent, Jake Livermore has not really broken through as much as originally been expected. He'll be 22 at the end of the year, and unless he gets some first-team football out on loan—at the very least with a championship side—he may end up needing to move on permanently.

His loyalty to Spurs and passion for the club have been very much respected by the fans, but unless he develops his potential soon, he may not be at the team too much longer.

Alan Hutton / Vedran Corluka

Age: 26 (AH) / 25 (VC)

Position: Right Backs

Nationality: Scottish (AH) / Croatian (VC)

The reason both players are listed on the same slide here is because with Kyle Walker's return to Tottenham, one of these players will end up being third-string right back.

Alan Hutton seems most likely to be sold, possibly to Villa as a replacement for their leaving loanee Kyle Walker. Either way though, one of these should probably leave if Redknapp does intend to make Walker his first-choice right back next season.