Roberto Soldado’s nightmare spell at Tottenham Hotspur looks to be finally over after the club agreed a deal in principle with Villarreal.
Loan deal or permanent move?
The details of the agreement have yet been released but it is thought that the Spanish club are seeking a loan agreement while Spurs favour a permanent move. A compromise of a loan with a purchase option might be the logical outcome.
The proposed move would draw a line under a forgettable two years in London during which the striker failed to live up to his €35m price tag.
Fortunately for Spurs, the original deal with Valencia was structured on a performance-related basis, so the final amount paid would have been considerably less.
The misfiring goal machine
Having been a prolific striker throughout his career in Spain, the 30-year-old arrived in the Premier League with high expectations. Despite scoring the winning penalty against Crystal Palace on his debut, he failed to make an impact during his first months in England and questions marks were soon raised about his ability to adapt to a different league.
In his first season at Spurs, he scored a total of six league goals, of which only two were from open play. He fared slightly better in the Europa League managing five goals in just seven appearances.
After a difficult first season, it was hoped that the player would regain some confidence for the subsequent campaign. But unfortunately for Spurs fans, things went from bad to worse as Soldado managed just one league goal in 24 appearances during the 2014/15 season.
A couple of domestic cup goals and another two in the Europa League did little to help his cause.
Fate sealed by Kane’s emergence
As Soldado struggled with form and confidence, Spurs academy star Harry Kane took centre stage, bagging 21 goals in his first full league campaign. The emergence of the 22-year-old put the final nail in the coffin of the Spaniard’s Tottenham career.
Reinforcements on the way
With Lyon striker Clinton N’jie expected to arrive at White Hart Lane this week and further striking reinforcements on the agenda, Tottenham will be keen to conclude the departure of perhaps the biggest transfer flop in their recent history.
For Spurs fans, the news of the misfiring striker’s departure will surely come as a relief. And for the player, it will be a final chance to resurrect a great career that has blemished by his ill-fated English odyssey.
Written by Neil Morris
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Chaina Khan liked this on Facebook.
Think we haven’t played him to his strengths good players don’t become bad ones I hope he shines where ever he goes he just needs to relax and then I think he will start scoring as he did. Think the pressure has got to him.
goodbye Soldado. We wanted it to work out so badly, as did you, but it wasn’t meant to be. I think you would have flourished when we had Modric and a beautifully balanced wing attack in Bale and Lennon, but you were a box striker who never got the service he needed. Best of luck our old Spanish friend, and I hope you succeed again in doing what you do best …poaching goals.
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