Jermaine Jenas was signed by Sir Bobby Robson and tipped for great things at St James' Park. But he was always an ambitious kid, and the lure of Londonb town was too great to turn down.
But what surprised Newcastle fans was the team he went to. Like David Ginola, he set up shop at Tottenham, hardly a club bigger than the one he was already at.
Has he been missed? Has he been a success at White Hart Lane? Personally I think Emre is a better midfield player and I don't think there were many tears when he left. As for his Tottenham career, they are still in the UEFA Cup (like ourselves), not challenging for the title, and struggled to beat Southend in the Carling Cup. But, of course, they are still in competition ... and we fell against Chelsea.
If involved, Jenas will be making his 50th appearance in a Tottenham shirt. The England International made 152 appearances and scored a dozen goals for Newcastle between February 2002 and August 2005, before his £7m move to White Hart Lane. Of those, 110 appearances and nine goals were in the Premiership.