Tottenham striker Emmanuel Adebayor has been omitted from both the registered Premier League squad as well as their Europa League side for the new season, and it appears his time is well and truly up at White Hart Lane. The Togolese international turned down moves to Aston Villa and West Ham United before the end of the summer transfer window, and the Lilywhites have no intention of welcoming him back because of it.
Spurs tried to negotiate a mutual cancellation of his contract, which would have seen the club pay a reduced fund to Adebayor so he would be free to move away, but the striker rejected the terms and is now set for a season in the reserve side. Now 31, time is fast running out for the former Arsenal, Manchester City and Real Madrid striker to resurrect his career, and based on his latest actions it doesn’t appear he really wants to.
It’s not the first time Adebayor has been left out of the Tottenham first-team, with the striker having hardly featured at all this year at White Hart Lane. He’s missed so much game time for reasons that are never fully explained, and it ends up getting the fans turning against him. Last season, he lost his place to young striker Harry Kane due to form, and ended up making just three substitute appearances in the Premier League in 2015.
This season, reports have alleged he failed to turn up for international duty with Togo, which caps a woeful year for the experienced striker. A move to another Premier League side could well have turned things around, but his refusal to leave Spurs without having his entire £100K-a-week wages paid in full has now seen him paying the ultimately price. He’s not been given a squad number, and has been told he won’t play for the club again.
Signed on a permanent deal only in 2012, Adebayor has averaged just 20 Premier League appearances and six goals in each season. He’s tuned out to be a monumental waste of money, and a near impossible player to shift. With the striker being so content to earn his money regardless of whether or not he’s playing is what irks supporters the most – especially when they’ve seen how useful a player he can be. But now the Tottenham man will be exiled for the foreseeable future, and he’s expected to be looking for a new club in January or the following summer.
