Mauricio Pochettino had some job to do upon arriving to White Hart Lane. Several players left the team for other Premiership contenders and it was time for new incoming transfers.
Defensive midfielder Sandro was signed by Queens Park Rangers for 11 million pounds on the deadline day, being out of Sherwood's first-team plans for a longer period. The Argentinian expert was, therefore, determined to find replacements for every last sold player this summer.
First pick to replace the Brazilian was Benjamin Stambouli, 24-year-old who previously represented Montpellier and France u21 team. Spurs had to cash out five million pounds on September 1 to ensure his signature hours before the closing of the transfer window.
The importance of this transfer comes to question with the Frenchman being regularly benched or left out from the squad for Premier and Europa League matches.
He only took part in four clashes in the white jersey, what was obviously not enough to prove himself to the staff. Stambouli had been selected to vice-captain the Ligue 1 team during the last season at Stade de la Mosson, playing more than 120 matches for La Paillade in a four-year period.
The Londoners should have sticked with defensive-minded central midfielders, instead of going for this man. Etienne Capoue, the regular starting XI member, could have easily been replaced with Paulinho or Nabil Bentaleb for certain matches, but the Tottenham board have, despite, decided one more midfielder was needed. Will it backfire?
Source: DSG
