The death knell rang on Dimitar Berbatov's time at Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday after he was left out of the squad to face Roy Keane's improving Sunderland.
Berbatov had returned to Tottenham after international duty with Bulgaria, (where he scored twice) in what Juande Ramos (Tottenham Head Coach) described as "an unfit mental state" and was subsequently dropped. Berbatov was then fined a weeks wages £56k and told to report back for duty on Tuesday. According to media outlets Ramos was then due to have clear the air talks with the Manchester United target...
However with the comments coming from White Hart Lane today it appears as if Berbatov is now an unwanted distraction and the sooner he moves on the better for both club and player alike. Ramos believes that Berbatov's presence is now providing a "physchlogical distraction to the players" and that the team is suffering because they now only have one recognised centre forward in the misfiring Darren Bent.
In direct contrast to the managers statement is Tottenham defender Jonathan Woodgate who believes the players should shoulder the blame for the two defeats and that it was Berbatov's fault is "bull."
Ramos has now asked for time in finding a replacement for Berbatov, a player who won't be easy to replace. Players being mentioned at this early stage include Dean Ashton (West Ham), Roque Santa Cruz (Blackburn), Fredi Kanoute (Sevilla) and Radaman Falcao (River Plate). Roman Pavlyuchenko (Spartak Moscow) has also been mentioned and would look like the preferred replacement, especially if he could be partnered with his international teammate Andrei Arshavin,with the latter as replacement for Robbie Keane (Liverpool).
Berbatov wanting to move to a team like Manchester United at this stage of his career is understandable. Not only will this move provide him with a much greater chance of medals. It will also provide the financial means to set him and his family up for the rest of their lives.
The manner in which he has gone about engineering the move is what is wrong with football at the moment. (See Article: Is it time UEFA changed format of the Champions League.)
There's an old saying "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me" And for Spurs to lose three top class centre forwards in nine months and to lose both of their star players without a replacements on the horizon draws attention to the lack of cohesion in the Spurs management structure.
And for this, Spurs only have themselves to blame.
