Aaron Lennon

If, as seems likely, Lennon completes his move to Everton it will feel like the end of an era. Is there now anyone left from the Jol/Arnesen days?

Obviously we don't know what's gone on behind the scenes, but the way he's been frozen out and forced to train with the youth team does leave a bitter taste in the mouth for one of the finest players we've had over the last decade or so. Poch doesn't seem like the sort of person to hold a grudge, but he clearly doesn't see Lennon as part of his plans. Something seemed to happen last season and Lennon has been ignored ever since.

In fairness, he's not been the player he once was in a Spurs shirt for a few years. He struggled under Sherwood and then in Poch's opening games, apart from the odd burst here and there. But he rediscovered his groove at Everton with a more than decent loan spell, where he looked like the Lennon of old. There are still quite a few Spurs fans, myself included, who think he could do a better job than Lamela has done for the past couple of seasons.

That said, I think the time is right for him to move on, as it was with Defoe, Dawson, VDV, Thudd, BAE, Keane, etc. A break with the past is needed. I think it would be way too harsh to call Lennon deadwood - in the same way as Capoue, Kaboul, Paulinho, Chiriches and Soldado - but there is no point in keeping him if he is going to play no part.

Anyway, what an absolute bargain he turned out to be. Signed for £1m from Leeds, he quickly developed into one of the most exciting talents in the game. He made an instant impact in his first season - 2005-6, when we came so close to securing Champions League football for the first time. He was originally bought as back-up to Routledge and I don't think there were any plans to introduce him into the first eleven so quickly. Jol was clever in using him sparingly, making sure there wasn't too much pressure put on his 18 year-old shoulders (it's easy to forget just how young he was when he first burst onto the scene).

His pace, ball control, willingness to take on the full back and defensive work were a breath of fresh air. He used to terrify defenders in those early days. There was, and always has been, criticism about his finishing and crossing ability. Some of this was justified, but his crossing improved over time and was never as bad as it was made out to be. In that first season, I remember crucial goals against Birmingham and Bolton, and a crucial assist in a 3-2 win over Blackburn.

And who can forget the winner against Chelsea in that famous 2-1 win at the Lane in 2006, our first win over them in absolutely ages. Or the equaliser in that barmy, topsy turvy 4-4 draw at the Emirates. Or setting up Crouch for the winner in the San Siro against AC Milan. Or the goal in the 2-1 win over Arsenal a few seasons ago, where he made Sir Chesney look silly with a wonderful little shimmy. Or the late, late winner against Liverpool in 2010.

So many great moments throughout his Spurs career. He was part of arguably the two best Spurs teams of the last two decades. That side, built by Jol and Arnesen from 2004/5 onwards, that came so close to finishing 4th. And then the team in 2011/12, who were being seen as realistic challengers for the title as late as January of that season. With Bale on the left and Lennon on the right, we had the fastest, trickiest, paciest wingers in the league for a few years.

He formed great partnerships with Corluka and, to a lesser degree, Hutton and Kyle Walker. His defensive work and tracking back was always second to none. The protection he gave to his full-backs was superb. Like any winger, he could be frustrating and inconsistent and there were certainly spells where he was out of form or not producing. But when he was on his game, a fit and firing Aaron was one of the most dangerous wingers in England. In those first few years he played with a brilliant fearlessness; he would regularly have fans up out of their seats.

He lost some of that fearlessness as time went by, but he turned into a more mature and well-rounded player, too. He had the beating of many full-backs, particularly Patrice Evra, and he was always wasted in an England shirt. They didn't know how to get the best out of him.

It's all ended a bit sourly. But, as a 25 year old, he's up there in the list of top players I've seen in a Spurs shirt. I think he deserves the moniker of Spurs legend for his services to the club. Best of luck to him at Everton or wherever he ends up. I'll miss his ability to dazzle, bemuse and frustrate in equal measure.