Did Tottenham Hotspur fail the ‘new Ronaldinho’?

By Jack Brennan
Updated: 5 July, 2012

Giovani dos Santos’ unhappy four-year spell at Tottenham Hotspur looks to be finally nearing an end this week as reports from Spain suggest the young Mexican is closing in on a deal with big spending Malaga.

The 23-year-old arrived at White Hart Lane in the Summer of 2008 after the-then Spurs boss Juande Ramos paid Barcelona a reported €6 million for his services – a sum that had potential to rise considerably depending on his impact at Tottenham.

Dos Santos struggled to establish himself however and was found surplus to requirements when Ramos was replaced by Harry Redknapp at the end of that year – in all the la Masia graduate has made just 30 appearances for Spurs and scored three goals.

Nonetheless, there has been no shortage of clubs reported to be showing interest in the Monterrey-born attacking midfielder and it now appears Malaga have succeeded in beating Atletico Madrid and Real Betis to the player’s signature.

Giovani’s happiest times on the pitch have been in Spain with the reduced pace of the game appearing more suitable to his style of player than that of the Premier League. In his short spell on loan at Racing Santander last year he managed 16 appearances, and scored an impressive five goals – not bad for a midfielder who had little time to settle into his new surroundings at el Sardinero.

Few should really be surprised by the skill level of a player who graduated from Barcelona’s famed academy – especially as dos Santos was once dubbed the new Ronaldinho. And while it is dangerous to compare young players to established legends, it seemed to many a natural observation to make.

Before joining Tottenham, dos Santos had built himself an impressive CV, making 28 appearances for the club in his first season, and had shown signs that he could become a permanent fixture at the Camp Nou. The decision to let him leave was made nevertheless and the player arrived at White Hart Lane under a wave of expectation.

Many believe that dos Santos was not given enough opportunity to impress at Spurs however – despite being consistently strong at International level for his native Mexico who he has represented 59 times at just 23 years of age.

There seems to me to be a similarity between Dos Santos and another young Barcelona player who went searching for greener fields in the Premier League, Cesc Fabregas. Of course Fabregas’ time in the English game contrasted greatly to that of Dos Santos, however there are similarities between the two. Both are attack minded midfielders who have a similar style of play, drilled into them while at La Masia.

It could be argued the key difference has little to do with the players themselves, rather their managers. Even a casual follower of Arsenal will know of Arsene Wenger’s love of picking young, talented footballers regularly in his teams. Meanwhile down the road at White Hart Lane it could be suggested that Harry Redknapp missed a trick, not only with Dos Santos but with a couple of other, now high profile players. Adel Taarabt and Kevin Prince Boateng to name just two who have slipped through the net at Tottenham.

After the relative success Redknapp had at Spurs, few Tottenham fans would begrudge these errors in judgement, however the name of dos Santos can now be added to the list of quality players who have failed to catch the eye of the former Portsmouth and West Ham boss.

If the youngster does ultimately sign for Malaga, fans of the Andaluz club may rightly ask what sort of player they’ve bought. It’s a fair question to ask given his lack of game time over recent seasons. For the answer they need look in the direction of the Gold Cup final last year when Mexico played the United States. Dos Santos put in a man of the match performance in which he showed hunger, ability, skill, professionalism (something which he was criticised for by Redknapp) and rounded it all off with an exquisite chip into the top corner to seal the win for his team.

If you combine that with his excellent performances while on loan with Racing, and the the fact that he learnt his trade in the youth system of one of the best clubs in the world; it could just prove to be an extremely astute signing for Manuel Pellegrini’s side.

The one that got away for Harry Redknapp and Tottenham Hotspur?