Tottenham told they once sold a player for £1m who had as much talent as Yaya Toure

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Nedum Onuoha has claimed that one player Tottenham Hotspur sold for just £1 million actually had a level of talent which was comparable with Yaya Toure or David Silva.

Tottenham have definitely had their fair share of outstanding players over the last couple of decades.

The likes of Luka Modric, Gareth Bale and Harry Kane have developed into superstars. Meanwhile, Spurs were in a Champions League final five years ago.

So the fans have been able to watch some unbelievable talents over the years. However, some went nowhere near realising their full potential in North London.

Tottenham told they sold £1m player who had as much talent as Yaya Toure

One player who definitely did not show what he was about during his time at White Hart Lane was Adel Taarabt.

Taarabt only made 15 appearances for Tottenham in all competitions before moving to Queens Park Rangers on an initial loan.

Ultimately, QPR signed the Moroccan permanently for just £1 million. And that proved to be an inspired move, with Taarabt enjoying one of the best Championship campaigns a single player has ever had in 2010/11.

He would never reach those heights as an attacking midfielder again. But his spell at Benfica also proved to be a success.

Interestingly, speaking on The Ripple Effect, Nedum Onuoha suggested that he was slightly surprised to see Taarabt’s evolution as his career went on.

“With Adel interestingly, he used his full ability the most when he was at QPR. But I think his football intelligence was greater towards the end of his career, when he was playing defensive midfield for Benfica, because he had to understand his role. He had to understand when to go, when not to go, how to link the play. And that was him really learning about the game as such in that moment,” he said.

“I’ve barely seen Adel defend in a five-a-side, so to all of a sudden see him do it for Benfica… So yeah, his football intelligence, as wild as it may seem, would be higher in that moment.

“Adel’s talent, from people I’ve played with, and I’ve played with some really good players is comparable to Yaya Toure’s, David Silva’s, completely comparable.

“But their ability to impact an game is far greater, because they had that link to the football intelligence as well.”

Spurs unlikely to rue decision to sell Adel Taarabt

Football has seen so many players down the years who do not come close to living up to expectations and capitalising on the talent they have.

Taarabt has undoubtedly had a much better career than many of those names who spring to mind. However, there is still a possibility that he may have a few regrets about the level he got to.

QPR never saw him at his best in the Premier League. And certainly, Tottenham probably do not reflect on the decision to sell him as a major blunder.

Clearly, Taarabt had the potential to be such a special player. The fact that Onuoha is even mentioning two of the greatest Premier League players of all-time in the same sentence is telling.

But talent on its own can obviously only take a footballer so far.