Russian giants could make move for unwanted Spurs striker.
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Tottenham misfit Emmanuel Adebayor could be offered an escape route from White Hart Lane this January, with Russian giants Zenit St Petersburg preparing to make a £5m bid for the 29-year-old, CaughtOffside understands.
Spurs tried all summer long to offload the Togolese international after he endured a highly disappointing campaign with the club last season, scoring just five goals in 24 Premier League games.
This was in stark contrast to an impressive first season with Tottenham, whom he initially joined on loan from Manchester City, with Adebayor managing 18 goals and 12 assists for the club before making his move to north London permanent.
Tottenham were unable to sell him during the summer, despite links with the likes of Schalke, Besiktas and Queens Park Rangers, who were all seemingly unable or unwilling to meet his high wage demands.
Spurs are understandably keen to get him off the payroll at White Hart Lane, which would pave the way for manager Andre Villas-Boas to sign a top class striker when the transfer window re-opens in January, as he had hoped to sign one more player after bringing in Roberto Soldado from Valencia for £26m.
The likes of Christian Benteke and Javier Hernandez remain top targets for Tottenham, but it is clear that they will not be able to afford to bring either of these players in before Adebayor leaves, and they are likely to accept an offer even as low as £5m for the experienced front-man.
Having previously made a big-money move from Arsenal to Manchester City, Adebayor’s stock has fallen considerably since then, though he remains a sufficiently big name for Zenit to consider him as a possible target this January as they look to strengthen their squad.
The mega-rich Russian club could even find themselves with more money to spend if bids come in for their star player Hulk, who is wanted by Chelsea, and see Adebayor as a decent replacement upfront for the skillful Brazilian.
The Spurs forward may see a move to Russia as a good chance to re-estbalish himself on the European stage, and they seem as likely as anyone to be able to meet his wage expectations.
Adebayor could then be reunited with another former Arsenal flop in Andrey Arshavin, who made the move to Zenit after being released by the Gunners this summer.
Undoubtedly, Adebayor’s best season in English football came in 07/08 when he scored 30 goals for Arsenal, but he has largely built a reputation for being incredibly inconsistent.