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6 worst Spurs signings of the Premier League era

Tottenham have been flirting with success for much of the Premier League era yet have never quite reached the top. During this time, the club has had some of the best talent in Europe at their disposals, including local heroes such as Ledley King and Harry Kane, while smart signings have helped them shine like Luka Modric, Gareth Bale and Robbie Keane. However, not all of Spurs’ business has been shrewd and they have signed some stinkers as well. Here are the 6 worst Spurs signings in the Premier League era.

 

6 worst Spurs signings in the Premier League

 

Roberto Soldado

Spanish striker Roberto Soldado had a reputation as a top finisher when he joined Spurs in 2013 from Valencia. His knack for finishing meant he would help fill the void left by Gareth Bale who had left for Real Madrid earlier that season. However, things didn’t go to plan.

Soldado looked incapable of scoring goals, fluffing easy chances whenever the pressure increased. Unable to lead the line, Soldado dropped out of the lineup replaced by a young upstart called Harry Kane. Soldado only ended up scoring 7 goals in 2 seasons at White Hart Lane before moving back to Spain with Villarreal in 2015 with a reputation as one of the worst Spurs signings ever. A wasted chance for all parties involved.

 

Kevin Prince-Boateng

When Harry Redknapp joined Spurs as manager in 2008, he had one eye on his previous side Portsmouth who were struggling financially. What followed was Redknapp raiding Pompey for many of their top players. This put pressure on new signing Kevin Prince-Boateng to deliver for Redknapp on the pitch.

The Ghana international had plenty of technical ability but severely lacked discipline. This poor attitude led to many mistakes on the ball and the ire of both teammates and fans. It didn’t impress Redknapp either who quickly shipped Boateng to Fratton Park and end his miserable time in North London.

 

Gilberto

Both sides in North London had a Brazilian named Gilberto in their squad in the 2000s. Whilst Arsenal fans loved Gilberto Silva, Spurs fans lamented the presence of a Gilberto in theirs who proved to be one of their worst signings. The left-back joined from Hertha Berlin after helping Brazil win the 2007 Copa America with many fans hopeful of a star signings.

Yet they got the opposite with the left-back looking slow, sloppy and a noticeable week link in their team. His form was poor enough for him to be substituted at half time in 3 of the 7 times he started for Spurs. Gilberto’s English misery soon ended though as he was shipped off to Cruzeiro in Brazil just one year after moving to London.

 

Ilie Dumitrescu

Controversy loves company and that was certainly the case for striker Ilie Dumitrescu. The Romanian striker had shone with Romania at the 1994 World Cup and was brought to London with a hope of linking up with star striker Jurgen Klinsmann. However, his off-field antics would overshadow his on-pitch actions as a huge scandal involving a prostitute caused uproar amongst fans and executives at the club.

This killed Dumitrescu’s Spurs career with loan spells to both Sevilla and West Ham coming soon after the scandal emerged. The final blow came in 1996 when he left for good moving to Mexico with Club America putting plenty of ocean between him and the British tabloids.

 

Grzegorz Rasiak

When Polish striker Grzegorz Rasiak moved to English football, he seemed like a natural fit. His first season with Derby saw him 18 goals in the Championship alerting him to Premier League teams. He soon left the Midlands for London joining Spurs at the start of the 2005/2006 season. It proved a leap too far though as Rasiak failed to make any impact for the side and he ended up gaining a reputation as one of the worst Spurs signings of the Premier League era.

Poor touches and decision making soon left him lingering on the bench with management unsure of how to use him. Halfway into the season, he was back to the Championship on loan to Southampton where he once again seemed more comfortable. The move became permanent at the end of that season with Rasiak knowing that his time in the English top flight was over before it ever began.

 

Bongani Khumalo

Just why Spurs signed Bongani Khumalo is a mystery to many. The South African defender impressed at the 2010 World Cup and left hometown club SuperSport United for Spurs in 2011 after a short trial. Except Spurs didn’t know what to do with him.

He was loaned out to several sides such as Preston, Reading, Doncaster and Greek side PAOK all without any real impact. After an even less remarkable run with League One side Colchester United in 2015, Khumalo left Spurs on a free transfer back to Supersport United without making a single appearance for Tottenham. A truly disastrous affair for all parties.

 


 

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