Seeing players come and go on a regular basis is part and parcel of supporting a football club. While we as fans barely remember some players, others stay for a long time and write their names into the club’s folklore.
Other than these two groups there are some players that make fans look back and think about what could have been – Players who were liked by fans but for whom things just didn’t work out at the club for some reason.
So here’s a list of five players that Spurs sold too soon:
5) Gylfi Sigurdsson
Gylfi Sigurdsson moved to Spurs in the summer of 2012 after having a fantastic six months on loan at Swansea City from German club Hoffenheim. Siggurdson did well for Spurs whenever he was called upon in his two seasons at White Hart Lane, notching up 13 goals for the Lillywhites.
However, he was the first player out of the door after Pochettino joined as manager in the summer of 2014. The Argentine has since then admitted that it was a mistake to let the Icelandic international go and that he would have been the perfect player for him. (Source: The Guardian)
4) Lewis Holtby
Lewis Holtby was one of the most enthusiastic characters to play for Spurs in recent seasons. The German quickly became a fan favorite at White Hart Lane, not just for his lovely left foot but also for his sheer charisma.
Hotlby was also deemed surplus to requirements as soon as Pochettino arrived and recently admitted in an interview to the Independent that he loved his time with Spurs.
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3) Nabil Bentaleb
Bentaleb broke into the Tottenham first team when Tim Sherwood took charge after the club parted ways with Andre Villas-Boas in the middle of the 13-14 season. The Algerian put in some impressive performances and became a fixture in the first team when Pochettino took over in the 14-15 season.
However, Bentaleb was let go the subsequent season allegedly due to problems with his attitude, and the Schalke midfielder recently said that he wished he was more patient and waited for his chances during his time at Spurs. (Source: The Independent)
2) Kevin Prince Boateng
Kevin Prince Boateng joined the club as a highly rated 20-year-old back in the summer of 2007. Tottenham fans only got to see glimpses of his talent as both Martin Jol and Juande Ramos used the midfielder sparingly before he was sold to Portsmouth.
Boateng has since gone to play for some massive clubs including AC Milan, Schalke and now Barcelona. The 32-year-old recently admitted that he eat terribly and partied too much during his time in London. (Source: FourFourTwo)
1) Rafael van der Vaart
There are very few players in the club’s recent history who were as adored by Tottenham fans as Rafael van der Vaart, this despite him only playing for the club for two years. The Dutchman was the kind of player that the Tottenham faithful have always had a soft spot for and he seemed to be a perfect fit for the club.
His goals and celebrations against Arsenal will long in the memory of most Spurs fans. In fact, you can still sometimes hear the Tottenham faithful singing the midfielder’s name, 7 years after he left the club.
Van der Vaart himself admitted that laving Tottenham was the stupidest decision he has made in his footballing career. (Source: ESPN FC)
Most Spurs fans will agree that the club was just as stupid to let the Dutchman leave after two amazing seasons in North London.
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