cookster said:
Why was he an idiot?
He was, and still is (by all accounts), very happy at Spurs. Signing that new contract meant that he would stay a while longer at the place where he is happy but would be paid two or three times more to do so. Win-win.
At the time that he signed, he was a very good player but by no means the phenomenon that he became last season - when he rose to an altogether different, world class level. He was only 22. Still learning the game. Plenty of time on his side. Spurs was the right club and right environment for his development. And AVB is definitely the right manager. If he had left last year, he might never have made that giant leap forward. He might forever have been pigeon-holed as a traditional left winger. He might never have realised his true potential.
He's incredibly hard working and focused; very down to earth; not the type to become the subject of tabloid scandal; not likely to be caught on youtube behaving drunkenly and loutishly. Seems to me that he's a rare example of a young player with his head screwed on the right way.
In fact, the polar opposite of an idiot.