‘No-one got the ball’: Tim Sherwood says Tottenham haven’t replaced player who left in 2019

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Tim Sherwood thinks Tottenham Hotspur still ‘haven’t replaced’ Mousa Dembele. 

After seven years of service to Tottenham for the ice-cool midfielder, Mousa Dembele departed and headed to China in 2019 because injuries, unfortunately, caught up with him. 

It was a huge shame because he was a highly-appreciated player amongst his peers, as Sherwood added that ’no-one is getting the ball off him’ when he was at his pomp, as he told Sky Sports News.

That was just before Spurs could reach a Champions League final and many think that road was the start of the end.

That’s when the club started to decline, including the departure of Mauricio Pochettino, which has since led to Daniel Levy bringing in four other managers, all to zero success.

Nonetheless, with number six’s being the theme in the summer transfer market, and the cost of them, Sherwood bigged up a player he had the pleasure of working with. 

“All that money is coming for those sitting midfield players,” said Sherwood. “I have always tried to tell people that’s the most important position on the pitch, nothing because I used to play there. Centre-forwards are overrated,” he laughed.

“They are the reference on the pitch. That’s the player that makes you sit back, relax as a manager.

“We used to have one at Tottenham called Mousa Dembele. Every time he had the ball, I used to say ‘he’s sitting in a chair like it’s an armchair. No one is getting the ball off him’. They still haven’t replaced him now at Tottenham.

“But all the money now needs to be coming for these sitting midfielders now, not centre-forwards.”

Dembele under Postecoglou

Aside from Harry Kane, who left this summer, if Spurs fans could bring in a player, of their recent past, to play under Ange Postecoglou, then prime Mousa Dembele would be top of the list – he was dubbed ‘underrated’ by Jamie O’Hara.

You would imagine centre-back pairing Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld would also be up there, including a fully-fit and raring, Gareth Bale.

If Spurs can find that superstar player on either side of the pitch again, then they can build something special going forward under Postecoglou, that’s for sure.