Danny Rose has in a recent interview revealed why he believes Tottenham Hotspur’s recruitment was rightly questioned by him and the reasons behind seeing his contract out with Spurs.
Rose originally sparked widespread controversy back in August of 2017 by stating that Tottenham should start signing more household names instead of ‘players you have to Google’ in a damning interview with The Sun, despite Tottenham reaching one of their loftier finishes in the Premier League the season prior.
Danny Rose has defended his infamous ‘Google’ comments
Former Tottenham defender, Danny Rose, revealed recently on The Zone Podcast that he still stands by his controversial comments regarding Tottenham’s transfer policy back in 2017, when Rose was 27, at his peak, and challenging for trophies under Mauricio Pochettino, albeit an unsuccessful bid for trophies.
Rose suggests many at Spurs have a lot to answer for regarding their poor signings that perhaps stifled Tottenham’s chances at silverware, stating:
“I’m not saying it’s just the chairman, making the signings, there have been some directors of football at the club who really need to be answering some questions about some of the players they brought to the club.”
What else has Rose claimed about Tottenham’s hierarchy?
Rose joined Tottenham from Leeds United, racking up 214 appearances in Lilywhite across his fourteen-year stay in North London, meaning the former England international has a pretty firm grasp on the club, both inside and out.
The 34-year-old has not just stood by his previous comments about Tottenham’s recruitment, but also his own salary, both statements which were made in a shocking interview with The Sun in 2017.
Rose claimed in his revealing interview seven years ago: “As with everyone else in my team, in my opinion, I am worth more than I am getting”, and has since doubled down on the comments, incredibly claiming:
“England team-mates would laugh about how much Spurs paid us – When we would go away with England, the lads would laugh at us at what we’re being paid. And I have one friend who was at another club”.
“I remember one season where West Brom were fighting relegation while we were near the top, and some of their players were on more than what we were on. That wasn’t right”.
Despite his comments on his contract, Rose saw out the five-year deal that he signed in 2016, as Mauricio Pochettino was starting to build an exciting, young team at White Hart Lane. However – the defender has admitted although the club’s treatment of him may have been harsh, it was something he had come to accept, explaining:
“That’s football. I had a meeting with the chairman, and I told him that I wasn’t leaving until my contract was finished and that I wanted to honour my contract. I told him that I knew what was coming, I knew they’d take my number off me, send me to be with the u23, and he looked at me like he didn’t know what language I was speaking, as to say they’d never do that to me.
“And then I return for the first day of preseason, and they do that. So, it wasn’t a shock. In the end, I honoured my contract, and that’s all there is to it.”
How does Rose feel about Tottenham now?
Watford signed Rose in 2021 as a free agent after the Englishman departed Tottenham following the expiry of his deal. The full-back departed in a strange way with many fans perhaps appreciating the years of service he had given their club with a minority even suggesting the defender’s striking statements were much-needed home truths for Spurs’ ownership.
An aspect that didn’t help Rose’s popularity was Tottenham’s ‘All or Nothing’ Amazon Prime documentary, where Rose was filmed pushing Daniel Levy for a loan move away and awkwardly asking if AC Milan has expressed interest, only to end up with Newcastle United who were struggling before their Saudi Arabian takeover.
Rose has hit back at the documentary, explaining: “People going off what happened in the Amazon thing, you shouldn’t believe everything that you hear and see on there, because ultimately that’s fabricated to make the club look as good as possible, even if the stuff couldn’t be further from the truth”.
In spite of his slightly sour final years at Hotspur Way, Rose has revealed that he sometimes still goes back to the club where he spent the large majority of his career at.
Rose has even expressed his excitement for Ange Postecoglou’s new-look Tottenham team currently, stating: “I went to Old Trafford last season and watched them play vs Man United. And watching them live, seeing how they play, I left the game asking my friends, do you think this team could be like the one I was a part of?”