Welcome to the «Returning Players» series of Last Word on Football. In this edition, we take a look at former Tottenham Hotspur defender Younes Kaboul. The center-back turned out for the Spurs in the 2007/08 season before returning to North London in 2010.
Returning Players – Younes Kaboul
First spell at Tottenham Hotspur
A £ 8 million fee saw Kaboul join Tottenham in 2007, where he was expected to be a strong and physical defender. But his Spurs career didn’t have the best of starts as he was injured against Everton just two games in the new season.
One of his highlights in his first campaign was a goal he scored against Aston Villa on the clubs’ 125th anniversary. It was an incredible game in which the Spurs fell behind 4-1, but a partisan crowd and an athletic Kaboul pulled the game out to tie it 4-4 in a true Premier League classic at White Hart Lane.
Kaboul was often referred to by fans as a ‘Hollywood’ player with his penchant for long balls for players higher up the field. Despite the fans taking it well, Kaboul found himself frozen by coach Juande Ramos, who felt the player made too many mistakes.
He earned a League Cup champion medal when he was a substitute in the second half of overtime in the 2008 final against London rivals Chelsea. Although Ramos was not yet interested in the player, he made it clear that the player was not in his plans for the next season. Although Kaboul was engaged to the club, in August 2008, he joined Portsmouth.
Teams where Kaboul played in the middle
Kaboul once again found himself at a club where he rotated often, but still made 25 appearances in all competitions despite various injuries affecting his playing time as well. His best moments for Portsmouth were a goal against AC Milan in the UEFA Cup and his first goal in the league – a rocket with his left foot against West Bromwich Albion.
Kaboul remained a brilliant or terrible player, there were no intermissions and he struggled with consistency in his performances.
Regreso a Tottenham Hotspur
Harry Redknapp brought Kaboul back to the Spurs in the January 2010 transfer window and the player made his second debut against the Wolves. The Spurs lost the game, with Kaboul looking uncomfortable playing right back instead of his usual favorite central defensive spot.
Once again, Kaboul was used as a rotation player and struggled to maintain a regular spot in the last four. He also struggled with constantly changing positions while playing as a right back, central defender and midfield. There continued to be a lack of consistency in their performances, largely due to irregularity in playing time and change in position.
However, it was from the right-back position that he would prove to have a major impact on Tottenham. Against Manchester City, he threw a cross into the box and the keeper was unable to handle it effectively. The ball fell into the hands of Peter Crouch to touch at home and that meant that at the end of the 2009/10 Premier League season, Spurs would finish fourth and qualify for the Champions League for the first time in their history. Kaboul only made ten appearances that season, but that crossover was a moment Spurs fans will remember forever.
However, that crossing was not Kaboul’s best moment with the Spurs jersey. That came later in 2010, when Spurs trailed 2-0 to perennial rivals Arsenal. Spurs regained their level before Kaboul nodded with a Rafael van der Vaart free kick to win all three points in a thrilling North London derby at the Emirates Stadium.
Kaboul would continue in and out of Tottenham, but was given the honor of becoming the club’s captain when in 2014 new manager Mauricio Pochettino appointed him to the position. However, the honor did not last long and numerous mistakes caused Pochettino not only to drop Kaboul, but also to strip him of the captaincy.
Kaboul only made 15 appearances for Spurs in the 2014/15 season and the club’s fans and the manager had decided it was time for his Tottenham career to come to an end. In the summer transfer window, Kaboul was sold to Sunderland for an undisclosed fee on a four-year contract.
Kaboul was either a much loved or much ridiculed player. Fabulous passes, solid defense and important and scandalous goals were interspersed with game-defining mistakes. His second stage can be considered a failure, but he will still be remembered for that match against Manchester City and his winner against Arsenal.
During his two stints at Tottenham, Kaboul scored nine goals in 140 appearances. An average of 20 appearances per season highlights how rare his time on the field was.
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