Villareal’s Relegation Could Leave Giovani dos Santos Trapped in Tottenham Misery

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May 23, 2012

Villareal's Relegation Could Leave Giovani dos Santos Trapped in Tottenham MiseryGiovani dos Santos was last spotted terrorizing American defenders at the Rose Bowl. After leading Mexico to victory in the 2011 Gold Cup final, dos Santos slumped back into Premier League obscurity with Tottenham Hotspur.

It’s been a familiar cycle for the 23-year-old Mexican star. He’ll deliver standout performances in interntional play, only to find himself buried on the Tottenham bench. In 2011-12, he only managed to play a role in 13 games in all competitions, totalling 576 minutes. It’s been this way since he left FC Barcelona in a £4.7 million ($7.4 million) transfer in 2008.

Dos Santos was hoping to secure a loan or permanent move to another club in January, but it never materialized. Both he and Tottenham thought they had sealed a deal that would see him move to Spanish club Villareal, but everything changed when the “Yellow Submarine” was relegated from La Liga. His agent told TalkSPORT that his future remains uncertain.

“We were well developed for Giovani to play for Villarreal but everything has been thrown down,” Vicente Moses said. “Now, both the transfer fee and wages change everything. It is not only a sporting matter but Villarreal’s economic issues have changed with respect to their top-flight status.”

“We will see what happens. It was a surprise decline for Villarreal, which is why we have to start over. We have to talk to Tottenham because we had very advanced negotiations with the two teams but now Villarreal are in the second division and everything has been suspended.”

Spanish clubs Racing Santander, Espanyol and Granada are thought to be interested in signing dos Santos. But Spain’s economic crisis, combined with dos Santos’ hefty salary, makes it difficult for most Spanish clubs to rescue the talented youngster from his Tottenham limbo. For now, the unsettled dos Santos must focus on upcoming national team duty and wait for other offers to come his way.

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Thumbnail photo via Flickr/pelayo_1993

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