Jermain Defoe says Tottenham sold him for £9.4 million despite his talent.
Etienne Capoue was a brilliant midfielder who played for Tottenham Hotspur and Watford, according to Jermain Defoe and Troy Deeney.
The pair discussed their time playing with the Frenchman on the Football Firsts Podcast.
Etienne Capoue was one of the ‘Gareth Bale Seven,’ a group of players signed with funds raised by Tottenham’s sale of the Welshman to Real Madrid.
The sale of Bale was expected to help rejuvenate the rest of Andre Villas-Boas’ Spurs squad.
That summer’s recruitment was more hit than miss, with Christian Eriksen being the most successful player brought in during that transfer window.
Tottenham fans never got to see the best of Roberto Soldado, Paulinho, and Vlad Chiriches.
Because of Erik Lamela and Nacer Chadli’s time at the club, Spurs fans view them favorably.
Etienne Capoue, on the other hand, was a talented mystery, with Jermain Defoe conceding that he was a fine player despite their disagreements after his £9.4m move.
That could explain why the Frenchman only made 35 appearances for the club over the course of two seasons.
He eventually made his way to Watford, where Deeney revealed his thoughts on the 35-year-old.
Defoe recalls the gifted Capoue.
When asked about previous fights with players, Deeney highlighted Capoue and replied, “No one’s backing down, but no one’s going in with the intention of hurting the other person.” I’m on you, and you’re on me, and it’s fueled us.
“Like I said, it’s [Etienne Capoue] Caps; morally, we’re the same kind of person.”
“He wants to win and loves his family, just like me, but our personalities are completely different.” Did you ever play alongside Etienne at Tottenham?”
“Yep,” Jermain Defoe said. “Isn’t he great?”
“How talented is he?” Deeney responded. “He’s a joke,” Defoe said, before adding, “Oh my god.” I used to disagree with him all the time at Tottenham, but he always returns the favor.
“Unbelievable player,” Deeney said, “probably the best I’ve played with because he just had so much about him.”
Tottenham fans never got to see enough of the talented Capoue mentioned by Deeney and Defoe.
He went on to appear for Watford approximately 200 times before joining Villarreal in 2021.
At Spurs, the seven-cap Frenchman was a victim of circumstance, with Mauricio Pochettino finally preferring the developing Ryan Mason.
Capoue had the potential to be a very solid player for the Spurs in the long run, but he couldn’t afford to remain on the bench at that point in his career.
