The Middle Man: who is the most equally Chelsea-ish and Spursy player in Premier League history?
The last three decades of the rivalry between Chelsea and Tottenham isn’t known for being a delicately balanced one. That’s something of an understatement, in fact, because Chelsea have beaten Spurs more than they’ve beaten anyone else in Premier League history: 25 in all, losing just four times.
That rather one-sided relationship (and the antipathy that comes with it) has arguably contributed to the surprisingly rare crossover of players between Stamford Bridge and White Hart Lane - just half a dozen men have represented both teams in the Premier League era. Should we choose to extend the parameters to before 1992 (and we’re not, I’m afraid) then Jimmy Greaves wins this by a couple of lengths ahead of the Glenn Hoddles, Micky Hazards and Clive Allens of this world.
If we brought managers into the equation, Hoddle’s spells at both clubs strengthens his hand, but neither set of fans are likely to want to dwell on the technical-area neuroses of Andre Villas-Boas.
So, then, which player sits dead-centre in this curious footballing Venn diagram, with John Terry one side and Ledley King on the other? Whose statue would have to be built on an equidistant point between the Bridge and the Lane (unhelpfully, it would be on a train track near Camden)?
The deliberately nebulous criteria remain the same as the previous Arsenal v Chelsea edition. The number of appearances certainly matters, slightly less so their legacy (glorious or tainted) among the fans, their playing style or the manner of their eventual departure. As before, it’s about all of these things...and none of them.
Are we clear? Are you ready to disagree vehemently? Good, let’s analyse the six candidates.
Click on the photo of your choice to vote
Neil Sullivan
Do you remember Neil Sullivan playing for Tottenham? Just about. Do you remember Neil Sullivan playing for Chelsea? Absolutely not. Do you even remember what Neil Sullivan looks like? It’s touch and go. Although your correspondent did see him nursing a Diet Coke in the Stamford Bridge players’ lounge in 2003. True story.
Verdict: Chelsea 3% Tottenham 97%
Eidur Gudjohnsen
The firmest of firm favourites among Chelsea fans for six years after signing from Bolton for £4.5m in 2000. An immaculate technician, his link play lent itself superbly to a strike partnership with the rather more lethal Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, but the Icelander was capable of some spectacular goals himself.
Two Premier League medals under Jose Mourinho were a thoroughly decent way to close his Chelsea chapter, and Gudjohnsen took his silken first touch to Barcelona, winning the treble with Pep Guardiola, and then to Monaco.
From there, at the age of 31, he had the choice of a loan move to West Ham - and a reunion with former Chelsea teammate Gianfranco Zola - or to Tottenham. Eleven league appearances (with eight of them from the bench) and just a single goal against Stoke - with whom he signed permanently soon after - mean that the legacy of “the Iceman” is overwhelmingly blue.
Verdict: Chelsea 93% Tottenham 7%
Carlo Cudicini
Another overwhelmingly Chelsea-ish entry. Signed for just £300,000 by Gianluca Vialli in 1999, Cudicini - son of AC Milan legend Fabio - eventually earned himself a starting place for Chelsea and, by 2002, the recognition as one of the best goalkeepers in the country.
The arrival of Petr Cech in 2004 spelled the end of his run as first choice, however, but he remained a willing and able deputy, as well as a popular figure with the supporters. As such, he was granted a free transfer to join Tottenham in 2009, but he once again had to settle for a place on the bench until leaving for MLS in 2013.
Cudicini finally returned to Stamford Bridge this summer to become an assistant to the newly-installed Antonio Conte and to further cement his Stamford Bridge standing.
Verdict: Chelsea 90% Tottenham 10%
Scott Parker
Signed for £10m as part of Chelsea’s 2003/04 spending spree that kicked off their Abramovich era, the tenacious 23-year-old arrived from Charlton to find that Frank Lampard was already established as the box-to-box operator while the Makelele role was already occupied by...Claude Makelele.
His impressive Charlton form early that season was enough to secure him the PFA Young Player of the Award, but a starting place at Stamford Bridge continued to elude him - as did a Premier League winner’s medal after just four appearance in 2004/05. The consensus seemed to be that it had been an opportunity not fully realised by either party - Parker moved on.
Six reputation-restoring seasons with Newcastle and West Ham earned a fully matured Parker a move to White Hart Lane, where he was voted Spurs’ Player of the Year in 2012. Now 36, he patrols the Fuham midfield in the Championship - he’s come a long way from that TV advert in 1993...
Verdict: Chelsea 21% Tottenham 71% McDonald’s 8%
William Gallas
Previously deemed to be the most perfectly Chelsea and Arsenal player in the Premier League age, thanks to a combination of crucial goals, general theatrics and fan irritation in both a blue and red shirt.
With the goalposts shifted this time, his contribution to Chelsea’s pair of Premier League titles in 2005 and 2006 - before being swapped for Ashley Cole - takes on even more significance.
In comparison, Gallas’ three seasons at Spurs passed without much incident, before he jetted off to Australia to show the A-League how defending is done.
Verdict: Chelsea 66% Tottenham 34%
The Middle Man: Gustavo Poyet
An irrepressible Premier League midfield presence after signing for Chelsea from Real Zaragoza in 1997. The 28-year-old Gus Poyet wasted no time in making an impression in English football, earning the nickname “The Radio” in the dressing room for his rather active role in stirring team spirit.
Poyet’s style certainly lent itself to the Premier League, as he thrived on crosses that met his late surges into the box. He racked up 18 goals in a fine 1999/2000, the finest of them coming in an opening-day thrashing of a club he would later go on to manage:
Poyet’s late start to Premier League life eventually worked against him at Stamford Bridge, and he was eased out in 2001 by Claudio Ranieri’s new regime. Poyet wouldn’t forget that as he left to join Tottenham which, in turn, was an act of mild betrayal that the Chelsea fans wouldn’t let lie either.
Poyet himself recalls the move with some candid clarity, telling FourFourTwo in 2011:
Poyet’s role in one of Tottenham’s most notable reverses of their Chelsea hoodoo - as assistant manager for their 2008 League Cup win at Wembley - may have put the nail in the coffin of his popularity at Stamford Bridge, but his energetic output for both clubs surely puts him in prime position for our purposes here.
Verdict: Chelsea 54% Tottenham 46%