Bale moved from Spurs to Real Madrid in 2013 for a then-world record sum of £85 million.
At the time, Garth Crooks spoke unflatteringly and compared the Bale sale to having sold Elvis and bought The Beatles. But how did it really go with the so-called “Magnificent Seven”?
Read: Reporter Schelderup has convinced giant club!
Back in the summer of 2013, after Gareth Bale was sold to Real Madrid for £85 million – a transfer fee that was a world record at the time – Tottenham management wanted to send a clear signal.
To replace Bale, who had been by far the team’s best player the season before, and at the same time strengthen the squad, the north London club spent over £100 million on new players – all in just 55 days.
Vlad Chiriches was the first to arrive when he was brought in from Romanian Steaua Bucharest for about £8.5 million.
Christian Eriksen, Erik Lamela, Etienne Capoue, Nacer Chadli, Paulinho and Roberto Soldado followed in quick succession. The latter was brought in from Valencia for what was then a club record, reportedly £26 million.
But how did it really go with them at Tottenham? And what are they doing today?
Vlad Chiriches
Expectations were high for centre-back Chiriches, who was brought in to replace Steven Caulker and William Gallas. He joined from Steaua Bucharest for £8.5 million, but ended up making just 43 appearances in two seasons in North London. In 2015, he was sold to Napoli for around £3.5 million.
The 36-year-old is currently playing for Steaua again, after returning to the club in 2023. He has also visited Sassuolo and Cremonese. In total, he has 78 caps for Romania.
Christian Eriksen
Without a doubt, the best signing of the seven. Eriksen joined from Ajax for a modest £11.5 million and quickly established himself as one of Europe’s best playmakers. In seven years in north London, he recorded 51 goals and 59 assists in the Premier League alone.
The 34-year-old currently plays for Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga, after stints at Inter, Brentford and Manchester United. He is the player with the most caps for Denmark ever, with 147 appearances since his debut in 2010.
Erik Lamela
Lamela is also considered one of the best signings from 2013. He arrived from Rome for around £25 million and quickly became a fixture in the team. The Argentine played over 250 games in eight seasons, with 37 goals and 44 assists.
In 2025, Lamela announced that he was retiring at the age of 33, after a long period marked by injuries. He played for Sevilla and AEK Athens after leaving Spurs in 2021.
Etienne Capoue
Capoue was brought in from Toulouse for around £9 million. Unlike Lamela and Eriksen, he struggled to establish himself in the team, making just 36 appearances before joining Watford in 2015. He stayed at Watford for six years before moving on to Villarreal in 2021.
The Frenchman probably experienced his best period in Spain, and was named the best player on the pitch in the Europa League final against Manchester United. Capoue retired in 2024, and has since taken up basketball – fulfilling a childhood dream. He plays for Spanish CB Jovens L’Eliana in the third division.
Nacer Chadli
Chadli was seen by many as a bargain when he arrived from FC Twente for just £7 million. He scored 25 goals in 119 appearances for Spurs, before West Brom signed him in 2016 for what was then the club’s transfer record.
The 36-year-old, who played 66 caps for Belgium between 2011 and 2021, is currently clubless after stints at Monaco, İstanbul Başakşehir, Westerlo and Standard Liège.
Paulinho
Tottenham beat several big clubs, including Real Madrid, in the battle for Paulinho, who was signed for £17 million. He scored 34 goals in 167 appearances for Corinthians before the transfer, and expectations were sky-high.
He scored three times in his first eight games, and everything looked promising. Eventually, he fell out of favour with Mauricio Pochettino and was sold to Chinese side Guangzhou Evergrande for around £10 million. The Brazilian retired in 2024, after stints at Barcelona and Al-Ahli. He ended his career in his heart club Corinthians.
Roberto Soldado
After scoring 30 goals in 46 appearances for Valencia in the 2011/12 season, expectations were huge when Soldado arrived at Tottenham for a club-record £26 million. Just like Paulinho, he got off to a flying start with four goals in his first three games.
Unfortunately for the Spaniard, his form completely plummeted in the months that followed. In fact, he scored just three goals from open play – a total of seven goals – in 50 league appearances for the club. He later played for Villarreal, Fenerbahçe, Granada and Levante before retiring in 2023.
Read on F7: Now Solskjaer must be promoted as a candidate to lead Manchester United
