Signing players in the transfer window, especially when you bring in people from outside the country, may or may not work. Tottenham fans do know how transfers don’t often work out, even if you spend days and months scouting the player.
We all know how poorly some of the big money signings from outside the country failed at the Lane. Roberto Soldado comes to mind, even if he was great during his time in Spain, the former Valencia man struggled to score at the Lane.
There were a couple of stars, however, who became part of Tottenham folklore and were even present during the final game played at the iconic stadium against Manchester United.
Spurs had signed the duo of Ricardo Villa and Osvaldo Ardiles in 1978 and Ricky and Ossie certainly did their bit for the side. The pair won the FA Cup in 1981 while Ossie was still at the club when they won the 1984 UEFA Cup.
Harry Redknapp, who was also part of the celebrations at the Lane, shared his views about the stadium and also the Argentine pair that worked wonders.
The former boss wrote in his column for the Standard stating:
“The send-off for White Hart Lane was a great day to be a small part of. People like Cliff Jones, Les Allen and Terry Dyson were fantastic players there was a lot of history in one room.
“Keith Burkinshaw was there, too, and when you think of what he did, signing Ricky Villa and Ossie Ardiles after they had just won the World Cup with Argentina in 1978, it was a reminder of his impact on the game.
“Signing those two was a very brave move at the time because there weren’t many foreign players at all in English football but they became Spurs heroes. White Hart Lane got the send-off it deserved.”
The duo certainly did a lot for the club but with another Argentine at the helm, Mauricio Pochettino, we can hope for better things to come in the future and hopefully a few more cups to add to a new trophy cabinet at our new stadium.
