Sandro
A young midfielder with bags of potential, Sandro (right) started his career with Internacional. After a string of impressive results, he began to attract interest from Europe, with Spurs boss Harry Redknapp declaring in October 2009 he wanted to bring Sandro to England.
The following March, it was announced that a deal had been agreed between the two clubs for the player to join Tottenham after the completion of the 2010 Copa Libertadores. Sandro helped Inter to lift the trophy, and then headed for White Hart Lane in August 2010.
While he struggled for playing time initially due to Spurs’ bloated squad, his importance in the first team grew over the course of the season. One of his finest displays was in the Champions League, where he put in a commanding performance in the San Siro as Tottenham won 1-0 away to AC Milan.
He opened his goalscoring account for the club in April, with a thumping half-volley from 25 yards against Chelsea. His form saw him included in Brazil’s Copa America squad, but he was forced to leave early after suffering from multiple injury problems.
Sandro will unfortunately miss the start of the season due to the knocks he picked up in Argentina, but he will hope to improve on the good start he made in England last year when he returns.
Heurelho Gomes
Goalkeeper Gomes started his career with Cruzeiro in 2001, before moving to PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands three years later. He established himself as a key player with the Dutch side, and in 2008 he moved to Tottenham.
Early on in his career in England, Gomes looked a complete flop. He regularly made costly errors, most notably against Aston Villa and Fulham. This led to the sacking of Tottenham’s goalkeeping coach, after which Gomes visibly improved.
He missed the start of the 2009-10 season, but upon his return he looked a top class goalkeeper. His most memorable game of the campaign came against Arsenal, when he made several stunning saves as Spurs beat their North London rivals in the league for the first time since 1999.
Tottenham finished fourth and qualified for the 2010-11 Champions League, but Gomes’ errors began to return. He fumbled a Cristiano Ronaldo shot into the net in the CL quarter-finals, and soon after he conceded a poor goal against Chelsea when the ball rolled through his legs.
With Brad Friedel having joined over the summer, Gomes’ place looks in threat. At times he looks a world class goalkeeper, but at others he looks a liability. He has some work to do if he is to remain Spurs’ number one, and needs to prove himself quickly.
