Where Are They Now?: Tottenham XI vs Man United – August 1997

Striker: Les Ferdinand

Then: Les Ferdinand signed for Tottenham in the summer of 1997 for a fee of around £6 million from Newcastle. The prolific England forward had scored 16 goals in the previous Premier League season and looked to be a real coup for the North London side. In just 68 games for the Magpies, Ferdinand had managed an impressive total of 41 goals. The burly striker was brought in as a direct replacement for the outgoing Teddy Sheringham.

Now: Ferdinand is currently the director of football at his former club, Queens Park Rangers. Since retiring from the professional game in 2006, he has taken several coaching and technical roles at both Tottenham Hotspur and QPR. In terms of his Spurs playing career, Ferdinand struggled to replicate his previously prolific goalscoring form. In over 118 games for the club, he managed only 33 goals. In 2003, the forward left Tottenham and moved to West Ham where, again, he struggled to hit the net on a regular basis. A more successful spell at Leicester followed for the striker, before finishing his career at Watford. He is regarded as one of the finest goal scorers in the Premier League era.

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