Tottenham Hotspur’s five best signings from the 2010s
Transfers are more often than not a hit or miss. It is difficult to pinpoint a sure success given the factors that can come into play. Over the years, Tottenham Hotspur has shown to have an inspired grasp to make shrewd signings.
Spurs have experienced an incredible rise in the 2010s. The club have risen from being midtable regulars to a place at the top end of the table. A key component in this turnaround has been the shrewd recruitment by us.
A number of these signings have gone on to establish themselves among the best in the league and have also brought us countless memorable moments to cherish. We take a look at five such signings who went on to win our hearts in the last decade.
1. Son Heung-Min
The South Korean arrived on the shores of England as a bright-eyed prospect who had made a name for himself in the Bundesliga. The then 22-year-old signed a five-year deal in a deal worth £22million.
The figure made him the most expensive Asian player of all time, beating the record held by Hidetoshi Nakata who moved to Roma from Parma in 2001. The amount spent is a mockery of the talent we got as the player went on to establish a legacy for himself among the Spurs faithful.
He has so far made 220 appearances for us and has scored 83 goals and 44 assists. A versatile attacker, he is capable of playing anywhere along the frontline. An attribute that shone in the absence of Harry Kane this season. Playing up front, the South Korean continued to smash in the goals as he made a mockery of us missing our ace forward.
Son has also made it a habit of scoring important goals. He famously scored the winner against Manchester City in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals last season. He followed it up with two more in the second leg as he silenced the Etihad.
The 27-year-old is one of our key players and will leave the club a legend once he decides to move on. Hopefully, it is no time soon and he will continue to give us many more memories to remember.
2. Dele Alli
Already a rising star at MK Dons, what makes the youngster’s capture brilliant is the paltry £5million we paid for him. Another shrewd signing, the Spurs recruitment did well to get the player who was destined to join Liverpool otherwise.
Dele had already tasted first-team action as a teenager with the Dons before moving to Spurs. The decision to send him back on loan in his first season proves to be more inspired by the day.
The midfielder might not have matched his sensational 18-goal tally from the 2016-17 season in the last two seasons, but his bargain status remains untouched. Today a full international with England, Alli can only get better with age.
Still only 23, he has gone on to make 219 appearances while scoring 62 goals and 54 assists. Reminiscent of a young Steven Gerrard, Alli has claimed to model his gameplay after the Liverpool legend. If he turns half as good as the ex-England skipper, we will have a star on our hands.
3. Hugo Lloris
The current club captain and a World Cup-winning skipper. Tottenham hit the jackpot when they made the move to secure Lyon’s impressive goalkeeper in 2012.
Having almost spent a decade in North London, Lloris is one of the finest players to have put on the Spurs jersey in the Premier League era.
Over the years, the French captain has stepped up time and time again to make unbelievable saves at times. He also has a knack of saving penalties as he saved five spot-kicks, just four off the all-time record of nine. He has made 316 appearances for us so far and has kept an impressive 108 clean sheets.
Lloris is also France’s most capper goalkeeper, having represented his country 114 times. He currently holds the fourth spot overall for most appearances in his France’s illustrious history.
Although Lloris has regressed over the years, he is still capable of holding his own against the best strikers in the league. Let’s hope that Jose Mourinho leads us to a trophy next season to ensure that the French shot-stopper’s years of loyal service is repaid.
4. Jan Vertonghen
The club’s defensive lynchpin. The Belgian ace was one of the Eredivisie’s best young talents before he made his move to North London in 2012. He immediately went about making a name for himself and established himself as one of the league’s finest in his position.
He went on to be nominated for the PFA Team of the Year in his debut season and also showed a knack of scoring important goals. He has gone on to make 311 appearances for Tottenham and has also chipped in with 14 goals.
Age looks to have caught up with him as he has struggled to showcase his usual dominance this season. With his contract set to expire in the summer, his time at Spurs could be coming to a close. Vertonghen ensured that Tottenham were one of the tightest units in the league. He will be remembered as one of our finest defenders in the modern era.
1. Christian Eriksen
His time at Tottenham may have come to an anti-climatic finish but there is no doubting the contribution the Danish superstar made at the club.
In the summer where Tottenham made a right hash of reinvesting the Gareth Bale money, Eriksen emerged as a lone light of hope. The Dane went on to establish himself as our creator in chief, and was also a daft-hand on set-pieces.
He made 305 appearances for Tottenham and has scored 69 goals and 89 assists. An impressive stat for a midfielder.
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Alongside Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min he laid the foundations for a free-flowing attacking under Mauricio Pochettino and was our go-to player for a time.
He may have left in acrimonious circumstances but his contribution in getting us to where we are today should not be downplayed. A two-time Tottenham Hotspur Player of the Year, Eriksen was also nominated for the PFA Team of the Year in 2018.
