Follow Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Lewis Holtby has now opened up about his exit from the London club.
The 32-year-old joined Tottenham back in 2013 for a fee of around £1.5 million, but he had to leave the club in search of regular game time.
The German attacking midfielder made just 25 league appearances during his time at the Premier League club, and he left in order to play more regularly.
Reflecting on his decision to leave the club, Holtby has now revealed that he was impatient, and had the wrong mentality at the time. He wishes that he had not left Tottenham quickly, and waited for the chance to prove his worth.
Furthermore, the former attacking midfielder heaped praise on the club and revealed that Spurs are a massive club, and he enjoyed his time there.
He said to the Athletic: “Tottenham are a massive club. I felt the energy there and I think the fans felt my energy.
“I wished I was a different age or had a different mindset at that time because I was maybe too naive and inexperienced in that period.
“I should have been more patient. I had top-class midfielders around me so game time was always spread but I had the wrong thinking… I always thought I should play or start every game.
“Sometimes it’s about patience, learning from others, getting game-time and then learning.”
Mauricio Pochettino was managing the club during Holtby’s time at Tottenham and the Londoners had a number of quality midfielders at their disposal back then.
It’s understandable why Pochettino had to use the German sparingly.
Holtby was highly rated during his time in the Bundesliga, but he never quite managed to fulfil his potential and he is currently plying his trade at Holstein Kiel in the German second division.
One can only wonder what would have been had the player remained patient and stayed at the club for the long run.
Spurs could certainly use a creative midfielder like him right now, with Antonio Conte lacking a bit of craft in the midfield.
