Steven Pienaar

Steven Pienaar, the Bafana star midfielder has decided to join Tottenham Hotspur on a four and a half year contract, though Chelsea were supposedly in the race to sign him too. The player earlier announced on his twitter account that he is all set to join Spurs and don the number 40 shirt over there. This was before any official statement was made from either side.

If his method of announcement was controversial, even more controversial was his decision to quit the Toffees club, where he was getting regular first team action and to join Spurs, a side which is already loaded with top class midfielders in the form of Modric, Bale, Jenas, Huddlestone, Lennon, Palacios, Van der Vaart, Kranjcar, O’Hara and Sandro along with teenage sensation Andros Townsend who scored on his debut in the FA Cup. The player himself accepted this fact in his first interview with the new club, “I am delighted to be here. I know it won’t be easy but I am mentally strong and will fight for a starting place.”

The premier league earlier saw the departure of Javier Mascherano in the summer. The player seems to be enjoying his transition from Liverpool captain to Barcelona bench warmer.

Even though the footballer claims that he snubbed an offer from Chelsea to join his former Ajax captain Rafael Van der Vaart at the White Hart Lane, his decision has led to a debate on the player’s desire to play consistently at the top level. Pienaar, who first joined Everton on a loan from the German side Borussia Dortmund but later agreed for a permanent transfer, has been a consistent playmaker for the Toffees who became an instant fan favorite, thanks to his inch-perfect crosses in the penalty box and frequent long balls that teased the opposition defenders. He featured in 133 games for the Merseyside outfit, scoring 12 times over four seasons from 2007-11.

Considering that his form this season has been a shadow of what he displayed in the last season, this signing by the otherwise cunning Harry Redknapp can be considered as a waste of money. Spurs have a set midfield quadrate of Lennon, Palacios, Modric and Bale. The strong Tom Huddlestone is set to return soon after recovering from a long term injury and Nico Kranjcar, who carries more goal scoring potential with his fearsome strikes on goal, will feature on the substitute bench for Spurs. This limits Pienaar’s outings to just a few Carling Cup and FA Cup ties. So, maybe the 70k a week wage might prove as a burden for Spurs who already have Robbie Keane in the same category. All in all, a strange move from the Toffees fan favorite.

Tags: English Premier League, EPL, Football World Cup, Midfielder, Premier League, Spurs, Steven Pienaar, Tottenham Hotspur