What a decade it has been for Tottenham Hotspur.
From vying alongside Manchester City for fourth-place in the Premier League and a spot in the Champions League, to actually reaching the final of Europe’s greatest club competition in phenomenal fashion, it has been a whirlwind of a ten years for the north Londoners.
The likes of Harry Redknapp, Andre Villas-Boas, Tim Sherwood, Mauricio Pochettino and now Jose Mourinho have held the reins during this time period, while a number of truly world-class players have pulled on the white shirt.
Let’s take a look at which of those star performers make our Tottenham Team of the Decade…
Hugo Lloris – While he may be slightly error-prone at times, the Frenchman has been largely excellent since signing from Lyon in the summer of 2012 under Villas-Boas. The glovesman helped Spurs mount a Premier League title challenge in 2016, while also playing a huge role in the run to the Champions League final – Lloris has kept 107 clean sheets in 307 appearances for the club.
Kyle Walker – The England international really rose to prominence this decade, nailing down a spot in Spurs’ first-team as a marauding right-back. From that long-range winner in a 2-1 victory over Arsenal back in 2011, to earning a then world-record £53m to Manchester City, Walker is the undisputed right-back in this Team of the Decade.
Watch Spurs vs Brighton Live and Free with Amazon Prime on Boxing Day
Toby Alderweireld – The Belgian may have only joined in 2015, but he has been an imperious, passionate figure for Spurs and almost certainly one of the best centre-backs the north Londoners have had in recent times. Alderweireld has made 180 appearances for the club, and continues to boss things to this day.
Jan Vertonghen – Arguably the best defender Spurs have had this decade, Vertonghen has been immense since signing from Ajax in 2012 – the same summer as Lloris’ arrival and also a Villas-Boas signing. The former Ajax man is one appearance short of 300 for the club, and has scored 13 goals in that time.
Danny Rose – Another full-back, like Walker, who cemented himself as a Tottenham regular in this decade. Rose began the decade by smashing a screaming volley past Manuel Almunia in the north London derby, and went on to start in the Champions League final for the club where he has spent the majority of his career.
Mousa Dembele – What a player this man was. Spurs and Villas-Boas signed Dembele from Fulham in the same summer as they did Lloris and Vertonghen from Lyon and Ajax respectively, and the dominant Belgian was quite literally the driving force in the side for many years, surging up the field with those huge strides and untouchable strength.
Luka Modric – He may have left for Real Madrid in 2012, but you simply cannot exclude a Ballon d’Or winner from this team. The dazzling Croatian lit up White Hart Lane with his vision and long-range shooting ability on many occasions, and is definitely one of the best to have worn the Spurs shirt in recent history given his pedigree.
Dele Alli – Like Alderweireld, Alli only joined halfway through the decade in 2015, but his rise has been a phenomenal one. The MK Dons academy graduate has netted 59 goals and grabbed 52 assists in 201 games for the club, and still finds the net to this day.
Christian Eriksen – The Dane may not be the flavour of the month right now at Spurs given his desire to leave, but since joining from Ajax in 2013, his overall performances make it difficult to leave him out of this team. Eriksen is three games short of 300 appearances, in which time he has scored 68 goals and recorded 89 assists.
Gareth Bale – Obviously. You don’t earn a then world-record £85.3m move to Real Madrid if you haven’t done something right, and at times, it felt like Bale could do nothing but right – there are simply too many highlights. From his hat-trick at the San Siro, to the countless wonder-goals in the 2012/13 campaign, Bale is one of the easiest choices in this XI.
Harry Kane – Again, obviously. This was the decade that saw the emergence of Kane, who rose from the academy to become the club’s third-highest goalscorer, while also picking up two Premier League Golden Boot awards. Additionally, his 39 Premier League goals in 2017 broke Alan Shearer’s record for most strikes in a calendar year.
In other news, see what the experts have had to say about this Tottenham transfer target…
