10 Players Newcastle Were Mad To Let Go

3. Les Ferdinand - Sold To Tottenham Hotspur For £6 Million (1997)

Newcastle United Appearances (1995-97): 84 Newcastle United Goals: 50 International Appearances for England (Goals): 17 (5) Clubs (Since Leaving NUFC): Tottenham Hotspur (1997-2003), West Ham United (2003), Leicester City (2003-04) Bolton Wanderers (2004-05), Reading (2005), Watford (2005-06) Career Appearances (Since Leaving NUFC): 222 Career Goals (Since Leaving NUFC): 57

A fee of £6 million for a then 30-year-old Les Ferdinand proved too tempting for Newcastle to turn down in 1997, yet that sale broke up his prolific partnership with Alan Shearer. Ferdinand and Shearer had netted 41 goals between them in the Premier League during the 1996-97 season but the former was allowed to move back to London and to Tottenham Hotspur. While Newcastle's form dipped over the following few seasons, the 17-cap England international continued to perform pretty well at White Hart Lane over the next six years - before winding down his career at a variety of clubs. Still with an almost one-in-three goal-scoring ratio while at Spurs, Ferdinand could have continued to star in a Magpies team set-up to suit his strengths for years to come. Instead, Newcastle allowed him to depart and they ended up struggling - particularly when Shearer picked up a couple of serious injuries. A ludicrous sale.