I would have liked to have seen him given more games here.
It's hard not to like a player who puts themselves about a bit and plays with a smile on their face but I don't think that he did enough in a Spurs shirt to be given more chances than he was.
To be fair to him, he's not a naturally disciplined player (similar to Mason in that way), and thus requires a system/style to get best out of him. I don't think he got any chance in an established Poch system to see if he could have worked. Honestly he would have been a better option last season that Paulinho/Capoue and potentially even cover for Mason, much like Lennon would have been a better option than Townsend/Lamela at times.
Do think Holtby's upside is limited, so makes sense to offload, best of luck to him, hope he settles somewhere.
Any idea what the fee was?
It's hard not to like a player who puts themselves about a bit and plays with a smile on their face but I don't think that he did enough in a Spurs shirt to be given more chances than he was.
Can't wait for the 'My Spurs Hell' piece in some 'paper' or other.
25 Prem game spread over three seasons is not a lot he was 22 when we signed him and raw, I am not saying he would have been a big player for us. However considering Townsend is roughly the same age and has nearly twice as many games and still not shown a lot I think Holtby could have been given more.
Still we move on.
I think that Townsend is fortunate that we do not have an established player in his position
Selling Holtby was a good move. He was abysmal this season. If Hamburg weren't obliged to buy they certainly wouldn't have. He barely played 90 minutes for a team that was going through one of the lowest points in its entire history.
There was actually an article in the paper taking the tinkle out of him. During the relegation match vs Karlsruhe he got subbed because he was trash, then spent the rest of the game running around on the side line showing his 'enthusiasm'.
The press labelled him the most expensive cheerleader ever signed. He does his 'thing' on the sidelines, never on the pitch unfortunately (for HSV).
Part of the reason he gets praise is because he seemed to care. He had a desire to win - perhaps not matched by the ability to do that - and gave full commitment. When you hold that up againstHoltby never showed much other than the ability to chase the ball, often with little success. Simply not good enough. Why someone simply running about gets so much praise I can never understand.
Part of the reason he gets praise is because he seemed to care. He had a desire to win - perhaps not matched by the ability to do that - and gave full commitment. When you hold that up against
'players' wearing the shirt who don't put in a shift, it gets praise.