IN 2013, Spurs were forced to blow up their squad following the world-record sale of Gareth Bale to Real Madrid.
The Welshman had netted 26 goals in the previous campaign, sweeping the Premier League’s various individual awards ahead of the likes of Luis Suarez and Eden Hazard.
Spurs recruited the ‘Magnificent Seven’ in the summer of 2013
Gareth Bale was unveiled at Real Madrid in September 2013Credit: AFP
But there was a problem – Tottenham missed out on Champions League qualification by a point.
Daniel Levy was bullish that he could keep his star asset, but Real Madrid turned on their charm offensive and it soon became just a matter of when, not if.
So Spurs got busy, signing seven new players for over £100million – as the line went, they’d ‘sold Elvis, and signed The Beatles’.
But while Bale was off winning four Champions Leagues with Madrid, Spurs’ new signings were producing contrasting performances.
So let’s take a look at what became of the ‘Magnificent Seven’.
ROBERTO SOLDADO – £26m
Spurs thought that they had secured a prolific goalscorer in SoldadoCredit: Action Images – Reuters
Soldado, 35, now turns out for Granada in LaLigaCredit: AFP OR LICENSORS
Spaniard Soldado was probably the most exciting of the acquisitions, when he arrived from Valencia for £26million, fresh from wowing at the Confederations Cup and banging in 24 goals in LaLiga.
Despite no lack of trying, his time at White Hart Lane was a disaster, however, as he only managed seven goals in 52 Premier League appearances – with five of them coming from the penalty spot.
Levy did manage to squeeze £10m out of Villarreal for his services in 2015, and he has since played for Fenerbahce and Granada, where he currently resides.
While Soldado, 35, still plays in the Spanish top flight, he has never quite re-found that goalscoring touch, managing just seven goals in 33 appearances last season – with one in six so far this time out.
PAULINHO – £17m
The Brazilian struggled to make an impact at SpursCredit: Getty – Contributor
Paulinho has become a talismanic figure at Guangzhou EvergrandeCredit: AFP or licensors
Another that arrived off the back of a stellar Confederations Cup, Spurs fans thought they were getting ‘the Brazilian Frank Lampard’ when Paulinho arrived in N17.
Initial performances were steady, with a late back-heeled winner at Cardiff prompting pandemonium among the travelling supporters.
Things went downhill very quickly, however, with Paulinho being red carded in Andre Villas-Boas’ final game in charged, before becoming a nervous wreck barely capable of completing a five yard pass by the end.
He was offered a career lifeline by Chinese Super League giants Guangzhou Evergrande, where he has become a big star and still plies his trade – via a very strange, if not totally unsuccessful year at Barcelona.
VLAD CHIRICHES – £8m
The Romanian struggled to cut down on his mistakes at TottenhamCredit: Bradley Ormesher – The Sun
A considerably scarier-looking Chiriches now turns out for Sassuolo in Serie ACredit: Reuters
Fans were excited at Chiriches’ arrival, as they thought they’d unearthed a hidden gem from Steaua Bucharest, with a penchant for playing the ball out from the back.
And while he was very laid back, it often proved to be to the team’s detriment, as his casual style tended to gift opponents easy goals, while leaving fans’ hearts in their mouths.
Like Soldado and Paulinho, Chiriches lasted two seasons at the Lane, before being shipped off to Napoli.
The Romanian managed just 48 appearances across four seasons at San Paulo, before joining Sassuolo on loan last season – before making it permanent for just under £10m this summer.
NACER CHADLI – £7m
Chadli became a useful player in his three years at SpursCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
Chadli arrived in England yesterday and could feature against Manchester United tonightCredit: Getty Images – Getty
One of the more successful acquisitions of that summer, Chadli became a popular figure at Spurs despite an underwhelming start.
The Belgian joined from FC Twente, having scored against Tottenham home and away in the 2010-11 Champions League campaign.
But it was not until his second season that he really began to shine, scoring 13 goals as Mauricio Pochettino began to transform the club’s fortunes.
He left for West Brom in 2017, eventually joining Istanbul Basaksehir this summer, via stints at Monaco and Anderlecht – also carving out a niche as Belgium’s left wing-back at the 2018 World Cup in the process.
ETIENNE CAPOUE – £9m
Etienne Capoue struggled to make a big impact at SpursCredit: PA:Empics Sport
The Frenchman now turns out for Watford in the ChampionshipCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Neither wildly awful nor outstandingly memorable, Capoue is possibly the most forgettable player of the seven.
With Sandro having regressed due to knee injuries, Capoue initially seemed to be the perfect foil for Mousa Dembele in his place.
But the Frenchman fell out of favour despite steady performances, although was hung out to dry following a few awful displays as a makeshift centre-back.
He lasted one season beyond Pochettino’s arrival in 2014, before joining Watford, for whom he has made 177 appearances and still remains – making seven outings in the Championship this term at 32.
CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN – £11m
Eriksen was a talismanic figure at Tottenham for over six seasonsCredit: Getty Images – Getty
The Dane finds himself out of favour at InterCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Without doubt the most successful acquisition of that summer, Christian Eriksen was an outstanding, indispensable member of the squad for six years, before eventually departing for Inter Milan in January.
A bargain at £11m, the Dane papered over cracks during Tim Sherwood’s tenure, pulling out a brilliant goal or moment of genius time and time again to dig the team out of trouble.
He then became the heartbeat of Pochettino’s side, so much so that they struggled to adapt whenever he was absent.
Eriksen admitted his desire to ‘try something new’ after losing the 2019 Champions League final and joined Inter six months later – although rumour has it that he could return to the Premier League after just a year following an underwhelming start to life in Italy.
ERIK LAMELA – £30m
Lamela joined Spurs just two days before Bale’s move to Madrid was confirmedCredit: Action Images – Reuters
The duo now play together in Lamela’s eighth season at SpursCredit: Getty – Pool
The last man standing, Erik Lamela remains at Spurs… alongside the man whose squad number he took – Gareth Bale.
Argentine Lamela, 28, actually had a bizarre start at Spurs, starting just three league matches in his first season before disappearing back to his homeland following a back injury early on in Tim Sherwood’s tenure.
He returned following his compatriot Pochettino’s arrival, wrestling for a starting berth before sustaining a troublesome hip injury in October 2016 that would keep him out for 13 months.
Lamela again recovered and returned to action, remaining a rotation option at Spurs, having now made 232 appearances for the club.
Sky Sports apologise for ‘stereotyping Latin culture’ after Graeme Souness’ comments on Erik Lamela
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
