Adebayor defends last days at Spurs ahead of reunion

Crystal Palace striker Emmanuel Adebayor has fired a broadside at Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy ahead of a first return to White Hart Lane since his acrimonious exit.

Adebayor made nearly 100 Premier League appearances in four-and-a-half years at Tottenham but his relationship with Levy deteriorated after twice being denied a move to West Ham United, despite being sent to train with the youth team.

Adebayor and Spurs agreed to cancel his contract last September, preventing him from joining a new club until January, and the forward defended himself against a perception that he was still happy to get paid while not playing.

“Daniel Levy made everything complicated,” the former Arsenal, Manchester City and Real Madrid striker told British media.

“But at the end of the day, I know where I am from and when you want something you have to stand strong for it.”

The Togo national said his commitment to charity in Africa helped motivate him to keep training hard in the months when he was, for all practical purposes, without a team.

“In life, I have been through a lot,” he added. “Maybe 15 years ago I was playing on a beach without shoes and I was living in a house without a roof.

“A lot of people will say, ‘He took money from Tottenham and went on holiday chilling’, but I can guarantee I was not chilling. I was working more than all the Premier League players that were playing.

“At the end of the day, I am so happy that a lot of my money is going back home and is going to charity. For me that is the most important thing.”