Former Spurs Player, Andros Townsend, Reflects on Sale

Andros Townsend didn’t agree with his transfer because he wanted to retire as a Spurs player, but harbors no ill will towards Mauricio Pochettino.

A tumultuous final three months with Spurs ended what could have been a somewhat promising career following multiple loan spells. In the end however, a 16-year career with the a club that Andros Townsend had wanted to retire with is over.

Mauricio Pochettino didn’t feel that Townsend was integral to his squad this season way before the 24-year-old’s run-in with fitness coach Nathan Gardiner. Seeing as how the England international’s last Premier League appearance was a three minute showing against Liverpool back on October 17, 2015.

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In seven appearances with Spurs’ first-team in all competitions, Townsend made three starts, two in the Europa League and one in the League Cup. The rest were split up between four substitution appearances, five games on the bench, nine games left completely off of the 18-man matchday squad and nine games with the second-team, seven of which were all starts and the other two were probably training sessions.

It all points to a player who, since October, was slowly being phased out of the team before the aftermath following a 3-1 win over Aston Villa at White Hart Lane. If anything, Andros Townsend’s incident just sped up the process of leaving him off of the 25-man squad and forcing his hand to go join Tottenham’s Under-21 team to stay fit and get regular playing time.

But despite the recent handling of his final three months with Spurs, Townsend has no ill will towards Mauricio Pochettino for how he was eventually sold to Newcastle United for a big transfer fee of £12 million even if his form, leading up to his exit, wasn’t worth the money whatsoever.

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“When you’re not playing you do suffer but the manager had no problem with me on a personal level,” Townsend told the Guardian.

“He made his decision professionally. Obviously I don’t agree but Tottenham are flying high so I can’t argue.”

“Unfortunately the first team were in Barcelona when I left so I didn’t manage to speak to him before coming here but I hold no grudges with the manager.”

That said, remaining with Spurs and retiring with his boyhood club were dashed when it was made apparent that England manager, Roy Hodgson, had told Townsend to leave Tottenham or risk his place in the England squad moving forward because he was getting less and less playing time at the club level.

“The last time I was with the England set up [October 2015] the manager said ‘I think you need to move now – a player like you needs to be playing week in week out. At your age the only way you’re going to improve is with games’,” Andros Townsend said on Talksport.

“I think it was obvious a change was needed and I’m delighted I’ve been given the opportunity to play for Newcastle United.”

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It’s definitely a sad moment to see a youth academy product who is Tottenham through and through be given the treatment that he had to endure because he was ultimately surplus to requirements and later got into a tiff with one of his coaches.

And now that his sale is official, it will be interesting to see how Andros Townsend responds to getting another chance to prove himself and show that he is still capable of playing top-flight football. If Townsend flourishes with Newcastle then it would be good for the 24-year-old because he can become a vital player once again, this time helping the Magpies avoid relegation.

Do note, that if Newcastle avoids relegation with Townsend’s help, it’s not a reflection of Spurs messing up and selling him too quickly. The timing was right for a player who had no future in Mauricio Pochettino’s plans the entire season. Besides, £12 million will help when Spurs use it for a new signing.

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