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| Former Spain international Soldado managed just seven goals in 52 games for Spurs |
ROBERTO SOLDADO, welcomed two years ago as the club's record £26million signing, headed back home to Spain on EasyJet yesterday in a bid to end his nightmare spell at White Hart Lane.
The manner of his exit showed the same chaotic mix of blunder and misdirection that has marked his time in the Premier League, with the former Spain international managing just seven goals in 52 games for Spurs.
Just 10 days ago, manager Mauricio Pochettino insisted the 30-year-old was "in his plans" when rumours of interest from Villarreal first emerged.
But yesterday about 8.30am fans tweeted photographs of Soldado at Gatwick airport, where he was happily telling them he was off to "sign for Villarreal".
Then just after 10am, Erik Lamela posted a picture of the pair eating dinner with the message: "I enjoyed these two years that we share, I wish you well in your new club. Good luck my friend." The message was subsequently deleted.
Inevitably Soldado's future was put to Pochettino at the regular 12.30pm press conference.
"There are a lot of rumours today," said Pochettino. "At the moment, nothing to say. If something happens, the club will announce it. So far, nothing changes it."
When it was put to the Tottenham manager that pictures were all over the internet of him at Gatwick telling fans he was off to Villarreal, he replied: "Yes, it's true that the club gave permission for him to go to Spain."
Allowing one of your star names to leave is a strange kind of nothing, it has to be said.
A loan deal now looks more likely after talks over a permanent move between the two clubs stalled around the £10m mark a couple of weeks ago. If Villarreal agree to pick up his full wages and pay a £1.5m loan fee, the price next summer could be as low as £8m - a total package that will effectively mean Tottenham flogging him off for half price.
With Emmanuel Adebayor training with the development squad, Harry Kane would be the club's only striker - although Pochettino is concerned with quality rather than quantity.
"Sometimes you have five strikers, like Liverpool last season and they were sixth in the table," he said. "Harry Kane scored 31 goals and Adebayor four and Soldado three [actually five and two respectively]. You never know in football."
Tottenham are in £12m negotiations with Lyon over Cameroon international Clinton Njie and when Pochettino played down that interest, it was inevitable he too would be the subject of a sighting at an airport - Lyon Saint-Exupery.
"Now, at the airport en route to London," one fan captioned his picture of Njie. He added: "Tottenham?' [laughs]'Don't tell anybody please'!"
An hour later a flight left for London Heathrow. British Airways, no less.
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