This Romanian was a player who Spurs hoped would provide the creative spark to push them into the upper echelons of English football. Ilie Dumitrescu looked to be an outstanding purchase for the White Hart Lane club, coming in at the same time as the likes of Jurgen Klinsmann. Alas, his Spurs career stalled almost before it began. Days after his signing, tabloids ran a story about his involvement with a prostitute. Spurs were aghast at the claim, which was later proven to be untrue, but the damage was already done and Dumitrescu was packed off to Spain for a loan spell with Sevilla. He returned to Spurs at the beginning of the 1995/1996 season, but failed to impress and was sold to West Ham, where work permit issues saw him leave and embark on a nomadic career before retiring at just 29.
