Tottenham have emerged as a real alternative to the established list of top teams like Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, and Arsenal. Unlike the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City, they have been able to achieve this feat without spending a significant sum of money. Possessing a top negotiator like Daniel Levy, Tottenham have unsurprisingly been great when it comes to finding great bargains. Here are some of the three best bargains for Spurs in the last decade.
-
Benoit Assou-Ekotto (From Lens for £3.5 million in 2006)
Tottenham went in for the relatively unknown Algerian Benoit Assou-Ekotto back in 2006. He cost only in the region of £3.5 million. Even though the transfer did not make headlines, Assou-Ekotto certainly engraved himself into Tottenham’s history by being a prominent feature for almost a decade. In his seven seasons with the North London outfit, Assou-Ekotto made 200 appearances in all competitions and scored four goals. He was part of the team that qualified for the Champions League group stages for the first time in Spurs’ history. There are few players who can get a club into the Champions League and they certainly do not cost in the region of £3.5 million. For this reason alone, Assou-Ekotto makes it to the list.
-
Kyle Walker (From Sheffield United for £3.5 million in 2009)
Tottenham have always been interested in signing talented British youngsters. Over the years, several such players have come to White Hart Lane in the hope of making it big. Only a few, though, have been able to make this place as a home and Kyle Walker is one of them. Walker was signed from Sheffield United for around £4 million. He did not become a first team regular straight away. Several loan spells with the likes of Sheffield United, QPR, and Aston Villa have followed, but he is now a key member of the Tottenham and England team.
Walker is close to making 200 appearances for the club in all competitions.
-
Gareth Bale (From Southampton for £5 million in 2007)
Former Tottenham boss Martin Jol was bringing in a lot of talented youngsters to White Hart Lane under the guidance of then director. Bale was one of the several such signings made during the start of the millennium. However, he went on to achieve a success never before seen at Tottenham. Even though he initially started out as a left-back and with a reputation for bringing bad luck, Harry Redknapp transformed him into a deadly asset. He was signed for just £5 million from Southampton, thus ensuring that Spurs ended up making a healthy profit after selling him to Real Madrid for a then world-record fee of £85 million.
