They Played for Spurs and Manchester City

Paul Stewart who scored a goal for Spurs in the 1991 FA Cup Final signed from Manchester City as a striker but became a very useful midfield player at White Hart Lane, going on to play three games for England.  Bert Sproston is one of the more unusual transfers between the two clubs in the season leading up to the Second World War.

Emmanuel Adebayor's loan transfer from Manchester City to Tottenham last August is the first time that Spurs have signed a player from City since Paul Stewart moved from Maine Road to White Hart Lane in 1988.  The last player to move in the opposite direction was Chris Jones who joined City in September, 1982.

Emmanuel Adebayor joined City from Arsenal in 2009 after three years in North London but spent the second half of last season, on loan, at Real Madrid where he scored twice as he helped the Spanish club knock Spurs out of the Champions League.  These added to his eight goals in nine north London derbies.  He failed to score for City in three games against Spurs and redeemed himself somewhat, in the eyes of Spurs supporters, by scoring on his Spurs debut against Wolverhampton Wanderers and twice on his home debut against Liverpool.  He is currently the club's leading goal scorer with 9 goals in the Premier League.  Being on loan, he is ineligible for the match at the Etihad Stadium this weekend.

Paul Stewart 1991 FA Cup Final

Paul Stewart started his career with Blackpool, and joined Manchester City in March, 1987.  He scored 26 League goals for City and fifteen months later joined Spurs for £1.7 million.  Stewart made his debut for Spurs on 1st October 1988, as a substitute in a 2-2 draw at home to Manchester United but missed a penalty.  Bought as a striker he scored 12 goals in his first League season with Spurs but when his goals dried up, he was successfully converted to a midfield role.  He was part of the Tottenham midfield which won the FA Cup in 1991, scoring Spurs' equalizing goal in that game.  His conversion to midfield came about almost by accident as Spurs, already a goal down, had to adjust when they were reduced to nine men against Luton Town and Stewart moved back into midfield where he showed an unexpected talent in the position, scoring both goals as Spurs won 2 - 1.  In the summer of 1992 he moved to Liverpool, having expressed the desire to return north but it was an unsuccessful period at Anfield.  He made 131 League appearances for Tottenham, scoring 28 goals.

Chris Jones grew up through the Spurs youth system and made his progression to the League team in August, 1974.  In total he made 185 League and Cup appearances, scoring 42 goals in his nine seasons with the club.  He was a skilful player but was unlucky player in that he often got into good goal scoring positions but couldn't quite turn them into goals.  He helped Spurs to avoid relegation in his first season and was a regular for much of the following season.  He was part of the team which was relegated the next year but played his part as Spurs then won promotion.  He scored 18 League and Cup goals in the next two seasons in the 1st Division but the arrival of Steve Archibald and Garth Crooks saw his first team opportunities diminish.  His best goal scoring performance for Tottenham was an FA Cup 4th Round replay at Wrexham in 1979 where his hat-trick enabled Spurs to progress to the next round with a 3 - 2 win after extra time.  He joined City for £110,000 in September, 1982 but after only three games in two months joined Crystal Palace.  He also played for Charlton Athletic and Leyton Orient.

Bert Sproston was an England international full back who joined Spurs from Leeds United in June, 1938 for £9,500, a big fee at the time.  Then the following November he was involved in a very unusual transfer.  Having played nine games for Spurs, he was selected to play against Manchester City at Maine Road but on the day preceding the match he was transferred to City for £10,000 and played for them as Spurs lost 0 - 2.  He had found it difficult to settle in London and remained with City until 1950.  

Alex Steel was with City for eighteen months prior to joining Spurs in the summer of 1908.  He was  a half-back but only made one appearance for Spurs but that game has put him into the Tottenham record books.  On that day in January, 1910 against Bradford City he became the third member  of the Steel family to play for Spurs.  He joined his brothers, Danny and Bobby, in the team, the only occasion when three brothers have played together for Spurs in a League game.

Alex Young who had a long, successful career with Everton joined Spurs in June, 1911 and scored on his debut.  After three goals in his first two games he failed to score in the next three and was omitted from the team.  He immediately demanded a transfer and went to City in November but was only there until the end of the season.  

Bill Felton was a full-back who spent three years with Manchester City before joining Spurs in March, 1932.  He played regularly in the team and captained the side to promotion in 1933 but lost his place midway through the next season and moved to Altrincham in the summer of 1934.

Neil McNab came to Spurs from Morton in 1974 at the age of sixteen for a fee of £40,000, signing as an amateur.  He turned professional in the summer but had already made his League debut against Chelsea as a substitute in April, 1974 which, at the time, made him the youngest player to appear for Spurs in the League.  Over the next number of seasons he played occasionally but in Spurs promotion season he played every game.  The arrival of Ossie Ardiles and Ricky Villa in 1978 saw him lose his place following the 0 - 7 defeat at Anfield and he moved to Bolton in November, 1978.  After being with a number of clubs he joined City in July, 1983 and had seven good years at Maine Road, playing probably his best football and helping them to promotion in 1989.  He joined Tranmere Rovers in 1990 for two seasons.

Clive Allen, the son of Les Allen, is one of Harry Redknapp's backroom staff and had two and a half seasons at City after returning from a year in France with Bordeaux.  He had joined Spurs from QPR in 1984 and scored twice on his debut against Everton but injury restricted him during his first two seasons.  In 1986-87 season he set a new Tottenham record by scoring 49 goals including the first in the 1987 FA Cup Final defeat to Coventry City.  That season, he was voted 'Player of the Year' by the PFA and Football Writers Association.  He moved to France in March, 1988.

Clive Wilson, Bobby Mimms and Michael Brown played for City early in their careers and later joined Spurs but Paul Walsh who joined Spurs from Liverpool later joined City. 

They Played for Spurs and Bolton

Summer transfer speculation suggested that Gary Cahill was heading to White Hart Lane but Bolton and Tottenham were unable to reach agreement on the final day for transfers in August.  Other deals have been completed between the two clubs but the most recent was almost twenty years ago.

Don McAllister with Ardiles

In the preview of the of the game between Spurs and Bolton, I retold how Gudni Bergsson denied Spurs the opportunity to move into second place in the League in season December, 1995 by scoring an equalising goal as Bolton recovered from a two goal deficit to earn their first away point of the season.  Bergsson joined Bolton from Spurs in March, 1995, helping them to promotion and in eight seasons he made over 300 League and Cup appearances.  Bergsson joined Spurs on trial as an amateur in November, 1988.  He was a law student and signed professional the following February, costing Spurs £100,000 to his former club, Valur.  An Icelandic international he had his best spell at Spurs under Terry Venables although he missed out on the 1991 FA Cup Final.  He made 72 League appearances for Spurs, scoring twice.  He played at full back or in central defence but found it difficult to gain a regular place in the team, often stepping in when others were injured.  He was released by Spurs and considered returning to his law studies but Bolton stepped in and agreed a deal with Spurs for £65,000.

Central defender, Chris Fairclough had two seasons with Spurs after joining from Nottingham Forest in 1987.  He then went to Leeds United and after six years at Elland Road he moved to Bolton.


Ian Moores joined Tottenham from Stoke in August, 1976 as Spurs embarked on a season which was to end in relegation.  He was a tall, gangling striker - a smaller Peter Crouch of his day.  He cost £75,000 and scored in his first two games but then as the team struggled he proved not to be the answer to Spurs' lack of goals.  The highlight of his Spurs' career was his hat-trick against Bristol Rovers when Spurs won 9 - 0 in the 2nd Division game.  Even then he didn't grab the headlines as his strike partner, debutant Colin Lee, scored four.  In October, 1978 he joined Orient for £55,000 having scored 8 goals in 32 League and Cup appearances.  He joined Bolton in 1982 and spent just one season there.  Sadly, Ian Moores passed away in 1998 at the age of 43 following illness.

Neil McNab signed for Spurs in February, 1974 for £40,000 from Morton, having already appeared in the Scottish League at the age of fifteen.  He was 16 years of age when he signed and made his debut the following March when he came on as a substitute against Chelsea.  A hard working, skilful midfielder he established himself in the team in 1977-78 when he was an ever present as Spurs won promotion from the 2nd Division after only one season in the lower league.  The arrival of Ossie Ardiles and Ricky Villa at the start of the next season saw him lose his place in the team, his last appearance for Spurs being the seven goal defeat at Anfield.  The following November he moved to Bolton for £250,000 but after two seasons moved to Brighton.  He joined Manchester City in 1983 where he played the best football of his career. 

Don McAllister had six seasons with his home club, Bolton, where he made over 150 League appearances.  He joined Spurs in February, 1975 and helped them in a battle against relegation.  Signed by Terry Neill for £80,000 he was a hard tackling, uncompromising central defender.  A versatile player, he covered in central defence and at full back as Spurs won promotion and re-established themselves in the top flight.  For two seasons after promotion he played regularly but a serious injury cost him his place and he joined Charlton in August,1981.  He made over 200 League and Cup appearances during his time at White Hart Lane.

Five other players also appeared for both Spurs and Bolton but they are of an older generation.

Frank Drabble played two games in goal for Spurs in season 1909-10, their first ever season in the 1st Division.  His debut at Preston was abandoned with the score at 0 - 0 after fifty minutes due to rain.  He then played in the next game at home to Notts County but Spurs lost 1 - 3 and Drabble lost his place in the team.  With the signing of two additional goalkeepers, Drabble slipped to fourth choice and at the end of the season joined Nottingham Forest.  He joined Bolton in 1919 and had two season with them.


Gordon Jones was a half-back who had three seasons with Bolton from 1909.  He joined Spurs in 1912 and had one year at the club, making eight League appearances.

Bill Hinton had four years with Bolton but only made 36 appearances for them.  He joined Spurs in June, 1924 and made his debut in goal against his former club at the start of following season, keeping a clean sheet as Spurs won 3 - 0.  He was an ever present for Spurs that year but only made another eighteen League and Cup appearances due to illness and was given a free transfer in 1927.

George Goldsmith was a full back with Spurs but only played one league game in September, 1934 after joining from Hull City the previous summer.  At the end of that season he joined Bolton where he spent two years.

George Hunt spent seven years at White Hart Lane.  He joined in 1930 after a season at Chesterfield.  He was a goal scoring centre-forward and has a record of 151 goals for Tottenham in 205 senior appearances.  After a difficult start with Spurs when he found it hard to replace goalscorer supreme, Ted Harper, given time by his manager, Hunt proved his worth.  He helped the team to promotion in 1933 and won three England caps.  After seven seasons with Spurs he moved to Arsenal but only stayed there for six months before moving to Bolton.  He stayed at Bolton for ten years and joined Sheffield Wednesday in 1946.  He became a coach at  Bolton on his retirement from playing and remained with the club for almost twenty years.