From Tottenham’s Reserves To National Hero
Personal information
Full name: Andros Darryl Townsend
Date of birth: 16 July 1991 (age 22)
Place of birth: Leytonstone, London, England[1]
Height: 1.81 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in)
Playing position: Winger
Club information
Current club: Tottenham Hotspur
Number: 17
Youth career
2000–2009 Tottenham Hotspur
Senior career
2009– Tottenham Hotspur 14 Appearances, 1 Goal
2009 → Yeovil Town (loan) 10 Appearances, 1 Goal
2009 → Leyton Orient (loan) 22 Appearances, 2 Goals
2010 → Milton Keynes Dons (loan) 9 Appearances, 2 Goals
2010 → Ipswich Town (loan) 13 Appearances, 1 Goal
2011 → Watford (loan) 3 Appearances, 0 Goals
2011 → Millwall (loan) 11 Appearances, 2 Goals
2012 → Leeds United (loan) 6 Appearances, 1 Goal
2012 → Birmingham City (loan) 15 Appearances, 0 Goals
2013 → Queens Park Rangers (loan) 12 Appearances, 2 Goals
National team
2006–2007 England U16 3 Appearances, 0 Goals
2007–2008 England U17 6 Appearances, 2 Goals
2009–2010 England U19 6 Appearances, 0 Goals
2012–2013 England U21 3 Appearances, 0 Goals
2013– England 2 Appearances , 1 Goals
While most of the new faces at Tottenham have impressed in some capacity, some might suggest their best arrival of the summer was a player they already owned. Or at least, that is how things have panned out during these early stages of the season.
Andros Townsend came back to the club over the close-season after spending half of last term with former manager Harry Redknapp at QPR.
Despite having an estimated wage expenditure which many bigger clubs would envy, QPR were relegated – but Townsend was one of their few bright sparks.
The winger’s record in duels was particularly good as he won 71 per cent, the joint-highest of all their
outfield players who had made more than one appearance, with Armand Traore matching him.
Townsend’s 65% dribble success highlighted exactly what he was all about as he continuously tried to beat his marker when creating openings, and his tricky style of play saw him fouled 20 times.
The loan spell gave Townsend an opportunity to consistently impress in the Premier League, and he took his chance as well as he could have.
Since returning his momentum has continued and he is now the subject of talk regarding a pay-rise. The Mirror claims he is currently paid less than £10,000 per-week and they believe he will earn close to £2m a year once he agrees a new deal.
With Aaron Lennon picking up an injury after the opening match of the season, Townsend was presented with another chance and once again he grabbed it with both hands.
As was the case at QPR, his dribbling has been good again so far. He has completed 69% of his attempts to beat a defender, and only Dembele can boast a more impressive success rate out of those Spurs players who have attempted more than 15 dribbles.
He also possesses a shot accuracy of 50%, and while this has maddened sections of the White Hart Lane faithful it’s an indication of just how confident Townsend is right now.
The flying winger’s name is still at the forefront of England coverage after his fantastic debut performance against Montenegro in the World Cup Qualifiers last month.
Handed his first full cap by Roy Hodgson, Andros responded with a man-of-the-match display, setting-up the first goal and then crashing home the third in England’s 4-1 win.
“I’m not getting carried away,” Andros said. “If I get my chance, I’ll look to do exactly the same as I did against Montenegro. Hopefully I can help us get over the finishing line.” He did that by following up that performance with an impressive display against Poland.
Townsend’s heroics for England will not have gone unnoticed, but the biggest plus about his emergence for Spurs is that Lennon finally has competition. For far too long he has been afforded inconsistency with no one challenging him. Those days are well and truly over.
Townsend joined the Tottenham Hotspur academy at the age of eight. In March 2009, he went on loan to Yeovil Town, making his football league debut against Milton Keynes Dons alongside fellow Spurs academy player Jonathan Obika.
He made ten appearances and scored one goal for Yeovil as they avoided relegation. Then in August 2009, he went on a month’s loan to Leyton Orient.
On 22 August he scored a wonder goal, having run 70 yards past three Yeovil players and side-stepping another before blasting past the goalkeeper. At the end of August, Townsend’s loan at Orient was extended until 31 December, after which he returned to White Hart Lane.
On 12 August 2010, Townsend signed on a season-long loan for Ipswich Town. He made his debut for
Ipswich against Burnley two days later, and scoring his first goal with a header against Swansea City on 4 December.
The loan spell was ended weeks later when Harry Redknapp recalled him because he had not been playing regularly enough.
On 9 January 2011, Townsend marked his Spurs debut by scoring and being voted Man of the Match in a third round FA Cup tie at White Hart Lane against Charlton Athletic.
On 7 March, Townsend signed a loan deal to take him to Millwall until the end of the season. He made two assists in Millwall’s 3–2 victory over Leeds United; after the game he said he would be happy to stay at the club beyond his loan spell.
In the 2011–12 season, Townsend was a regular in the Spurs first team for their UEFA Europa League campaign, making six appearances in the competition.
On 15 December 2011, Townsend scored his second goal for Spurs, against Shamrock Rovers, curling in a shot from outside the box. On 23 December, he signed a new contract at Spurs taking him up until the end of the 2016 season.
On 1 January 2012, Townsend joined Leeds United on loan until the end of the season. He made his debut for the club the next day in their 2–1 victory against Burnley, where he received the man of the match award. On 23 February, Townsend returned to Tottenham, with his agent saying he was unhappy at Leeds.
On 26 September 2012, Townsend scored a fine individual goal for Spurs in a 3–0 victory against Carlisle United in the third round of the League Cup.
On 31 January 2013, Townsend and Tottenham teammate Jermaine Jenas joined Queens Park Rangers, Townsend on loan, Jenas on a permanent deal; they linked up with former Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp.
Townsend made his debut two days later against Norwich City in a goalless draw where he was named man of the match.
He scored his first goal for the club on 9 March, with a dipping volley from outside the penalty area in a 3–1 win at home to Sunderland, and scored again in the next game, against Aston Villa. And Now the winger has returned to Tottenham creating headlines in the early stages of this season.