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Italian midfielder Nicola Berti was brought in to add much-needed
steel to a struggling Tottenham Hotspur side on 8th January 1998. A free
transfer from Internazionale, Berti joined former team mate and
returning Spurs hero Jurgen Klinsmann at White Hart Lane as manager
Christian Gross looked to strengthen his relegation threatened squad.
Perhaps Klinsmann's presence was the reason for the largely
underwhelming reception for a player who had been a regular of the
Italian national side - he played in every game at the 1994 World Cup
including the defeat on penalties to Brazil in the final - and had
picked up a host of domestic and European honours in his career at the
San Siro.
Spurs had suffered some alarming capitulations before
Berti's arrival, including 4-0 hammerings at Liverpool and Coventry City
and an infamous 6-1 home defeat to Chelsea. In each case, Spurs had
reached half-time with parity. Berti set about doing the job he was
brought in to do, using the ball simply and bringing an air of composure
to a team with fragile confidence. He was also noted for his ability to
make intelligent runs from midfield, which he used to full effect in
scoring the crucial opener in a 3-0 win at Blackburn Rovers in February,
a result which lifted Spurs out of the bottom three. He scored two more
vital goals as they pulled away from trouble, the first in a 3-1 win
away to fellow strugglers Crystal Palace and another in a 1-1 home draw
with Coventry. The Italian's experience helped to see Spurs through and
they finished the season in the relative comfort of 14th place.
Berti
was disappointing in 1998-99 and spent a large spell out of the team
after four unimpressive displays. Having made a total of just 21 league
appearances for the Londoners, he joined Alaves on a free transfer on
31st December 1999, thus missing out on Tottenham's League Cup success
later that season. While his exit was far from glorious, Berti had at
least made a valuable contribution in steering the team through troubled
times. (Alex Voskou).
1982–1985 Parma 28 (0)
1985–1988 Fiorentina 80 (8)
1988–1998 Internazionale 229 (29)
1998–1999 Tottenham Hotspur 21 (3)
1999–2001 Alavés 51 (5)
2001–2002 Northern Spirit 19 (2)
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