From Saints to Spurs - Four who played for both

Tottenham’s penultimate game of the season sees Southampton visit White Hart Lane for what will be the iconic ground’s last ever match at full capacity. Spurs’ recent form against the south-coast club is excellent, with six wins and a draw in their last seven premier league meetings.

Article by Nathan Flint @nathflint

Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino will know today’s opponents very well, having moved to White Hart Lane in 2014 after a successful season at St. Mary’s. A number of players have also made the switch (or played for both clubs). Here we look at some of the better ones.

Kasey Keller

Tottenham Hotspur 2001-2005, 85 games & Southampton 2004, 4 games

American goalkeeper Keller joined the club in 2001 from Rayo Vallecano on a free transfer, having already spent three years in England with Leicester City. Ironically, Keller’s last game in English football prior to joining Spurs was against them in a League Cup final defeat in which he conceded a last minute losing goal. Having played every minute in the Premier League for two consecutive seasons he lost his place to Paul Robinson in 2004, prompting his loan move to Southampton.

Dean Richards

Southampton 1999-2001, 67 games & Spurs 2001-2005, 73 games

The late Dean Richards was a very capable defender, with his height, strength and aerial ability making him one of the best defenders in England. Yorkshireman Richards started his career at hometown club Bradford City before impressing at both Wolves and Southampton then moving to Spurs for an £8.1million fee in 2001 – at the time the biggest ever paid for an uncapped player. His time at the Lane was plagued by injury which meant he never played for his country and retired in March 2005. Sadly, Richards died at the age of just 36 after a long-term illness.

Peter Crouch

Southampton 2004-2005, 27 games & Spurs 2009-2011, 73 games

The only player on this list who hasn’t been involved in a transfer between the two sides, it was at Southampton that Crouch’s performances earned him a move to Liverpool. Three years and an FA Cup winners’ medal later, Crouch moved back down South to White Hart Lane for around £10million. Qualifying for the Champions League in his first season at Spurs, Crouch is remembered for scoring the goal that confirmed Spurs’ top four finish as well as the winner at the San Siro against AC Milan in the competition proper. Never a prolific striker, Crouch scored just 12 league goals in two seasons in the capital before moving on to Stoke City.

Gareth Bale

Southampton 2006-2007, 40 games & Spurs 2007-2013, 146 games

Easily the best player to have played for both clubs, Welshman Bale came to prominence with his pace and dead-ball ability at St. Mary’s. A product of Southampton’s academy, Spurs took the plunge and signed the promising full-back for an eventual £7million. His career at Spurs did not start well; he famously failed to win any of his first 24 appearances. That was to be the extent of his misery as he exploded onto the world scene with a memorable hat-trick in a 4-3 away defeat to Inter Milan in the Champions League group stage. He followed that up with a master class in the return fixture. Bale’s career continued to go from strength to strength as he moved up the field to an attacking position as part of a deadly attack with Luka Modric and Rafael van der Vaart. The Welshman’s last season at Spurs confirmed him as a world-class player as he frequently won games for the Londoners with an array of wondergoals. Spurs just missed out on the Champions League despite achieving a record points total. This prompted Real Madrid to come calling and Bale followed former team-mate Modric to the Spanish capital for a world-record £85million fee in 2013.

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