Best Clearance of the summer?

I know all the attention with Spurs is focused on our exciting new signings and seeing how they all will fare for us over the course of this vital upcoming season.
However, a very important thing for any squad is trimming all the dead weight away or seeing how they will fare without certain players now that they have left for greener pastures (no prizes for guessing who I’m referring to there!) I bet not many Spurs fans realised that we have actually let 24 players leave the club (permanently or on loan) this summer in a variety of positions. Bearing this in mind, here are 7 players who could make a positive difference now that they have left Spurs this season (loans included):

1. Gareth Bale – No team in the world will want to lose a player of Gareth Bale’s quality so the reason he makes the list is not because he is a liability of any sort. The reason is that we managed to pick up a staggering amount of money for him that aided us massively in the transfer window and probably financed quite a lot of the purchases we made this summer. Let’s be honest, even the most staunch Gareth Bale fan will have to admit he is not worth £85 million so the fact that we managed to accumulate so much money from his sale definitely puts him as a contender to be the sale of the summer, even though we are losing a fantastic player who’s presence will be sorely missed.

2. Steven Caulker – Another player whose inclusion on this list is not because of the ability he has as I was personally gutted to see him leave Spurs for Cardiff. However, we managed to get £8million for him which represents terrific business for us considering he was probably going to be 4th choice centre half again this season. We also managed to bring in Chiriches due to his sale who is a highly rated player and has the potential to be possibly far better. Therefore, Steven’s sale has brought quite a few benefits to us so far.

3. Clint Dempsey – I liked “Deuce” when he was playing for Spurs but the fact is he was never quite going to be the special player we needed in order to push on and become an established top 4 side. In reality, Dempsey was a Europa league player at best so it didn’t cause me too much worry when he left to go back to the MLS. The benefits of this sale is that we managed to recoup the majority of what we paid Fulham for Dempsey the year before and it also freed up a space in the squad for us to bring in a better attacking option as well.

4. Tom Huddlestone – I was glad to see Thudd go if I have to be honest because he had become a liability as he went on at Spurs. He seemed to have lost his ability to make the killer pass and he had an annoying tendency to give the ball away and lose concentration at important times. Even though I still admit he can be deadly on his day, I would rather have Paulinho/Capoue playing in the holding role rather than him. I used to love him back in the Martin Jol days but honestly I am glad to see the back of him now even though he was always a top pro and I hope he has every success possible at Hull.

5. William Gallas – Not technically a sale I know since he was released as a free agent but Gallas needed to be moved on this summer. He could still be a quality defender for a lower half Prem team but due to his age and slowness, he couldn’t really be considered for a team that is hoping to become Champions League regulars so releasing Gallas was a necessary and prudent move in my opinion.

6. Benoit Assou Ekotto – Even though this is only a loan deal, I think this move could end up becoming permanent if QPR will promotion back to the Premiership. Benny should flourish in the Championship and, even if he does end up returning to Spurs, I believe he will come back a more confident and better player after getting regular games under his belt. Also, this move means that Danny Rose will now have the confidence of knowing he is first choice Left Back for sure so hopefully he will start to improve the defensive side of his game for Spurs. A final benefit could be that it gives young Zeki Fryers the chance to make an impression in Cup games when Rose is rested which should improve him as a player and will hopefully give him the platform to challenge Rose for a first team berth next season.

7. Tom Carroll – Yet another player whose inclusion is not down to ability. Tom’s loan to QPR should see massive benefits to Spurs. He should have the quality to be sure of regular game time (although QPR do have a packed midfield) so he should be able to display the confidence and ability that all Spurs fans believe he has in abundance. This will enable him to return to Spurs next year as a better player and hopefully challenge for a first team spot and become a regular starter. If I’m honest, I would’ve preferred to have loaned him to a Premiership team like Crystal Palace where he could start most of the games and gain valuable Premiership experience but I’m sure challenging for promotion with a strong QPR team will have its benefits for Tom as well.

Who do you all think was Spurs’ best clearance of the summer out of the above choices? Or was the best clearance a player who is not mentioned in the list?

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