The German failed to have the desired impact during his time at White Hart Lane.
In January 2013 Tottenham Hotspur made a move to bring in talented German midfielder Lewis Holtby from Schalke 04.
They agreed a Bosman deal with the player initially, before finalising a permanent deal six months early for a small fee.
He was tipped as a star of the future and Tottenham fans were excited to see him in action.
Lewis Holtby
However, despite the occasional good showing, he spent much of his time at Spurs on the bench and never quite made it in North London.
Now he is at Hamburg and this week has been featuring for the club in a friendly against Al Nasr in Dubai.
Whilst there he spoke to the Khaleej Times about his time at Spurs and admitted playing in the Premier League was a dream come true, and that he was not dwelling on what was an unsuccessful period:
“I don’t see it as a breakdown in my future. I don’t live in the past, I live in the present and I’m very thankful for the time I’ve had here at Hamburg.
Football Soccer – SV Darmstadt 98 v HSV Hamburg – German Bundesliga
“I loved playing there (England) and it was a dream come true. But now, I’m here in the Bundesliga, which is one of the best leagues in the world.”
After his struggles at Tottenham the German went on loan to Fulham before heading back to Germany with Hamburg – where he is now extremely happy and clearly settled.
Tottenham fans never got the chance to see the best of Holtby during his time at the club, but it seems he learned a lot from the experience.
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