The West Brom star scored against his old club during the 1-1 draw at the Hawthorns.
West Bromwich Albion’s Nacer Chadli celebrates scoring their first goal
Tottenham Hotspur may have had another reason for keeping hold of Nacer Chadli this summer had they cast their minds back to previous seasons, given the attacking midfielder’s excellent form against the North Londoners.
Mauricio Pochettino reluctantly agreed to sell Chadli to West Bromwich Albion for £13 million (BBC Sport) after the Argentine couldn’t guarantee the player the minutes he wanted having dropped out of the Belgium squad.
West Bromwich Albion’s Nacer Chadli celebrates scoring
The Baggies have quickly benefitted from the deal – Chadli has scored four times and assisted twice in five matches since arriving.
The latest of these gave West Brom the lead late on against Spurs, as he smashed home a close range effort after Hugo Lloris’ excellent save.
Chadli respectfully muted his celebrations somewhat, even though part of him would surely have been happy to demonstrate his goalscoring quality to the team that deemed him no more than a support player.
And it is also meant that the 27-year-old, astonishingly, scored in his third successive game against Tottenham.
Nacer Chadli celebrates scoring the third goal for Tottenham
Dele Alli would end up cancelling out the goal to earn a draw, but a player who scored 25 times in 119 matches for Tottenham actually made his name against them some years ago.
The first two goals against Spurs for the Belgian came in their 2010/11 Champions League season, with Chadli’s Eredivisie side FC Twente.
Nacer Chadli at FC Twente – Picture Supplied by Action Images
Chadli netted the consolation in Tottenham’s 4-1 win over the Dutch outfit at White Hart Lane in September of that campaign, before securing a point in a thrilling 3-3 draw in the return game with a wonderful free kick – the last match of the group stage and enough to secure Chadli and his side third spot in the group ahead of Werder Bremen.
The two performances undoubtedly played a part in Tottenham’s desire to recruit the Belgium international in 2013 when Gareth Bale left for big money.
And he is again proving his quality now he is getting regular football once more, with Spurs, again, the victims.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
