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Nacer Chadli keen on showing Spurs fans what he's really worth
NACER CHADLI has revealed he came back from the World Cup with just one mission on his mind – showing the Tottenham fans he is a lot better player than they thought he was.
The Belgium forward struggled to come to terms with life in the Premier League following his £7 million signing from FC Twente last July. He hit just one goal in 24 League appearances, having averaged a goal every three games in Dutch football.
It did not help that an early injury meant that the man who had signed him, Andre Villas-Boas, had left the club by the time he was 100 per cent fit and, having been stuck out wide by his successor, Tim Sherwood, Spurs fans became frustrated by his lack of impact.
He answered those doubts in spades on Sunday. Having sat out the opening game of the season he scored twice against QPR in the 4-0 win and combined well with Emmanuel Adebayor, Christian Eriksen and Erik Lamela in a fluid front four .
Chadli had been linked with moves to both Sunderland and Southampton during the summer but the 26-year-old was having none of it.
“I came back from the World Cup and nobody said I could leave,” he said.
“I didn’t have the best time but I didn’t want to leave like that. I would rather have taken my chances, stayed here and shown people what I can do.
Now I am looking forward and with the new manager coming in it gives me a new chance
“I struggled with injury at the start of the season, came back and physically I was down. Therefore it became a very hard season and I was very disappointed with how it went.
“Now I am looking forward and with the new manager coming in it gives me a new chance.”
With Lamela, another high-priced misfit, also finding his form, new boss Mauricio Pochettino has found he has an embarrassment of riches in the creative midfielder department – a role for which last season only Eriksen showed any appetite.
The Argentine’s solution? Why pick one No 10 when you can have three?
“We have Ade at the top and then behind him we had me, Christian and Erik, who are all encouraged to change position during the game,” said Chadli.
“That makes it very difficult for opponents."