Will Timo Werner be a Gudjohnsen or a Greaves? Ranking the Chelsea to Spurs transfers
Timo Werner is about to join a select band of footballers to have played for Chelsea and then later turned up – directly or indirectly – at the Blues’ hated rivals Tottenham.
The good news for Spurs fans is that historically they’ve done really rather well out of former Chelsea forwards; the bad news is that the word ‘historically’ is very much a vital one there.
Here’s a top 10 for Werner to try and crack anyway…
10) Micky Hazard
Chelsea 1985-1990; Tottenham 1978-1985 and 1993-95
The midfielder sneaks in on a technicality having clearly ‘played for Chelsea and then played for Spurs’ despite, equally clearly, playing for Spurs first. A squad player in both his Spurs spells, of which the first was undeniably the more successful with Hazard an FA Cup winner in 1982 and creator of vital goals in both legs of the 1984 UEFA Cup final shootout win over Anderlecht. None of that can count here, though, so he takes a lowly spot on the list.
9) Eidur Gudjohnsen
Chelsea 2000-06; Tottenham 2010
In many ways the closest comparison to the Werner situation, albeit with a more successful (although not quite Champions League-winning) Chelsea element to the equation. Won a pair of Premier League titles under Jose Mourinho in the mid noughties before leaving for Barcelona and then Monaco, returning to England on a six-month loan to Spurs in which he managed an undeniably Wernerian two goals – one in the league, one in the FA Cup – across 14 appearances.
8) Scott Parker
Chelsea 2003-05; Tottenham 2011-13
It’s always annoying when people insist on arguing whether Parker or Greaves is the greatest former Chelsea player to play for Spurs. The two camps are so entrenched that neither will ever concede the merits of the other. Why can’t people just enjoy them both?! Parker struggled to make an impression at Chelsea after his big move from Charlton, but restored his reputation at Newcastle and especially West Ham before two years of entirely adequate performances for Spurs.
READ MORE:Â Ranking all 53 Premier League players turned managers
7) Carlo Cudicini
Chelsea 1999-2009; Tottenham 2009-12
Still perhaps the greatest member of a very specific genre of footballer: distinctly non-English players the English media devoted significant attention to the idea of nevertheless snaffling because the rules might technically allow it without ever really worrying about whether the player himself might be up for it.
A fine servant for Chelsea across almost a decade – the first four years of which were spent as first choice – he was predominantly a back-up keeper at Spurs to first Heurelho Gomes and then Brad Friedel before the arrival of Hugo Lloris signalled the end of Cudicini’s time in north London. Most famous moment for Spurs very possibly replacing Luka Modric after eight minutes of The Gareth Bale Champions League Game against Inter at the San Siro when Gomes saw red. Also played in the Bale-propelled 3-1 win in the return fixture with Gomes suspended.
6) William Gallas
Chelsea 2001-06; Tottenham 2010-13
Gallas remains the only Premier League-era player to have managed to appear for Spurs, Chelsea and Arsenal, and it says much about the toxic way his Chelsea and Arsenal careers ended that it is arguably Spurs – the last and on paper least successful of his London deployments – where the fewest bridges were burned. Allegedly threatened to score own goals when trying to escape Chelsea, fell out with Arsenal over wage demands and was stripped of the captaincy, but was largely trouble-free as a much-needed senior figure as Spurs took on Champions League football for the first time.
5) Terry Venables
Chelsea 1960-66; Tottenham 1966-69
In terms of playing careers, Venables’ earlier spell at Chelsea would probably shade his Tottenham years. He did win the 1967 FA Cup with Spurs, though, and made over 140 appearances for the club. Inevitably, though, it is for his time as Spurs manager that El Tel is most fondly remembered in North London, harnessing the brilliance of Gazza in a way really only Bobby Robson ever truly matched and leading Spurs to what remains to this day their eighth and last FA Cup success in 1991. An absolute brain-melter to think they’ve not so much as reached the final in 33 years since.
4) Gus Poyet
Chelsea 1997-2001; Tottenham 2001-04
A player who has managed to remain fondly thought of by both clubs, the scale of his successes at Chelsea meaning the relationship could survive the sight of him kissing the Spurs badge during a 5-1 League Cup win over the Blues. Perhaps it’s not a great surprise he’s still popular with both; the Uruguayan’s combination of occasionally dazzling ability and ever-present potential for a madness was an intoxicating one that simply screams ‘cult hero’.
3) Les Allen
ÂChelsea 1954-59; Tottenham 1959-65
Spurs’ most successful team and arguably best ever frontline owes an awful lot to Chelsea, it turns out. Allen – father of Clive, uncle of Paul – formed a lethal partnership with fellow former Chelsea man Bobby Smith during the Double season – scoring 23 league goals and 27 all in that season – before the arrival of a third former Chelsea attacker in Greaves forced Allen down the pecking order.
2) Bobby Smith
Chelsea 1950-55; Tottenham 1955-64
Absolutely wild, really, that Smith is only the second best striker to have made the journey from Chelsea to Spurs – not only ever but also within the span of his own career. Never really cracked it at Stamford Bridge despite making a handful of appearances in the Chelsea side that won the First Division title in 1955 but is a stone cold legend at Spurs where this classic old-school No. 9 played a starring role in Tottenham’s greatest ever side. Still sits third in Spurs’ all-time goalscorer list and netted 33 in 43 – including two in the FA Cup final – as Spurs won the Double in 1961.
1) Jimmy Greaves
Chelsea 1957-61; Tottenham 1961-70
Not easy to be a beloved club legend at both Chelsea and Tottenham, but Greaves undoubtedly has that status. He scored 132 goals in 169 games for Chelsea, before the club’s financial problems forced them to cash in by selling him to AC Milan for £80,000 after just four years at Stamford Bridge. Unhappy at the prospect of leaving London, Greaves never settled in Milan and wanted to cancel the move before it had even gone through. Milan refused but soon transfer-listed him when it became clear it wasn’t going to work. He still scored nine goals in 10 Serie A games before returning to England and Spurs, the fee famously set at £99,999 to avoid Greaves facing the added pressure of being the first £100,000 player. Seems unlikely it would have unduly fazed him.
Joining a team that had just won the Double, Greaves would go on to win two FA Cups and a Cup Winners’ Cup during his nine years at Spurs, setting a club goalscoring record of 266 that stood until Harry Kane came along.
