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Tottenham Hotspur are one of the six clubs to have never been relegated from the Premier League. The North Londoners have been quite competitive over the last decade, consistently finishing in the top six. Despite not winning a trophy for a long time, they are a part of the league's "Big Six".
The two-time league winners have had a lot of noteworthy moments in recent history. Under Mauricio Pochettino, Spurs not only challenged for the Premier League title but also reached the Champions League final in 2019. Luka Modric and Gareth Bale, two of the greatest players of this generation, made their breakthroughs at Spurs.
Tottenham Hotspur haven't always made world-class signings
Tottenham Hotspur have had to work on a tight budget at times. Chairman Daniel Levy ensured the club wouldn’t overspend as a new stadium was being built before 2019. In general, they have placed their bets on promising players who could turn out to be profitable for them. Needless to say, some of them have left a bad taste in their mouths.
Here are five players who played for Tottenham Hotspur that you forgot.
#5 Georges-Kevin Nkoudou
Georges Kevin Nkoudou is a prime example of a relatively unknown player who couldn’t do well in the Premier League. The Frenchman had a decent season with Marseille in 2015-16. Mauricio Pochettino bought Nkoudou for €11 million to add depth to their attack in 2016.
The winger played 27 times for Tottenham Hotspur and managed to rack up just one goal and a couple of assists. It wasn’t long before Pochettino realized that Nkoudou wasn’t good enough for the team. After a couple of short loans at Burnley and Monaco, he joined Besiktas in 2019.
The 27-year-old has 22 goal contributions in 78 outings for the Turkish club. Surprisingly, a player who isn’t prolific in the Turkish league was thought to be a potential Premier League hit. Despite winning the Turkish double last season, Nkoudou won’t be back at Spurs anytime soon.
#4 Roman Pavlyuchenko
Roman Pavlyuchenko burst onto the scene in 2008 after his exploits in the Euro 2008 tournament. Pavlyuchenko scored three goals as Russia defied all odds to reach the semi-finals.
Tottenham Hotspur decided to act quickly and snapped up the forward for €17.4 million. Pavlyuchenko put up some decent numbers for the club, scoring 42 goals in 113 matches in all competitions. However, his 0.256 goal-to-game ratio in the Premier League left a lot to be desired.
The centre-forward’s output was underwhelming for a side challenging for the top four. The Russian international was sold to Lokomotiv Moscow in 2012. He is still going strong at the ripe age of 40 as he currently plays for Znamya Noginsk in the third tier of Russian football.
#3 Benjamin Stambouli
Benjamin Stambouli is a French midfielder who started his senior career at Montpellier. He was signed by Tottenham Hotspur in 2014 after excellent displays in Ligue 1. The midfielder played 25 times for Spurs in 2014-15 before returning to France.
Stambouli didn’t light up the Premier League by any means. However, he wasn’t a bad signing by any means. Paris Saint-Germain bought him just a year after his move to Tottenham Hotspur. Hence, no one really remembers his time at White Hart Lane.
Stambouli joined Schalke after a trophy-laden season at PSG. He plies his trade at Turkish club Adana Demirspor. Tottenham’s central midfield hasn’t been remarkable compared to other Premier League clubs, and Stambouli’s short stint solidifies that fact.
#2 Kevin-Prince Boateng
Kevin-Prince Boateng is the definition of a journeyman footballer. Boateng has played for well over 10 clubs during an 18-year-long career. He was part of the Tottenham side that won the 2008 Carling Cup, which remains the last trophy won by the North Londoners.
The Ghanaian has played for several top clubs including Barcelona, AC Milan and Borussia Dortmund. He registered 24 appearances for Tottenham Hotspur but failed to score a single goal for them. He was loaned to Dortmund midway through his second season at the club.
In 2009, Boateng was sold to Portsmouth, ending his two-year association with The Lilywhites. The attacking midfielder is now at Hertha Berlin, where he started his career. Boateng could never fulfill his potential and is not remembered for his stint in the Premier League.
#1 Federico Fazio
Federico Fazio has been quite a reliable defender for both Sevilla and Roma. Despite being quite confident in La Liga and Serie A, he couldn’t stake a claim for his place in the Tottenham Hotspur lineup. Not many football fans can recall his Premier League days.
Spurs bought Fazio in 2014 for a fee of €10 million. He was an established defender at Sevilla, and the price was justified. However, Fazio couldn’t defend competently in the English top-flight. The centre-back lasted just 32 games before going out on a couple of loans to Seville and Rome.
The Serie A club finally bought him permanently in 2017. The Argentine was at the heart of Roma’s defense for four-and-a-half years.
The former Tottenham Hotspur man moved to Salernitana during this season’s January transfer window. He played 373 times for Sevilla and Roma but couldn’t make it big in the Premier League.
