Former Chelsea defender Jason Cundy has revealed that he was sold to bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur against his will, purely for financial reasons. Cundy, a boyhood Chelsea fan, came through the club's academy and represented the first team between 1988 and 1992. Now a talkSPORT pundit, he will undoubtedly be cheering for the Blues when they face Spurs at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night.
A Crucial Clash for Both Sides
The upcoming Premier League match is pivotal for both London clubs. Chelsea's season has unraveled, dropping them out of European qualification spots, while Tottenham are fighting against relegation. A victory for Spurs would ensure they finish above West Ham, relegating the Hammers, while a draw would all but guarantee it on goal difference.
Despite the high stakes, Cundy's clear favouritism towards Chelsea means many forget he once played for Spurs. The centre-back joined Chelsea as a schoolboy and progressed through their academy, being named Young Player of the Year in 1987. He signed his first professional contract in 1988 and made his senior debut in 1990, signing a four-and-a-half-year deal in November 1991.
The Secret Deal
In March 1992, Chelsea went behind Cundy's back by agreeing a secret deal to sell him to Tottenham for £850,000. He joined Spurs on loan until the end of the 1991/92 season, after which a pre-agreed clause triggered a permanent transfer. The deal was hugely unpopular among Chelsea fans, with the club motivated purely by financial gain.
Cundy had no desire to leave Chelsea and was only informed on the Monday before the transfer deadline day on the last Thursday of March. Speaking on Undr The Cosh, he said: "The reason was financial. It wasn't a loan. It was how you manipulate the fees because I joined in March and April was the start of the financial year so that transfer wasn't really a 'loan'. It helped one of the clubs financially. The deal had already been done."
Cundy's Reaction
Recalling the moment he learned of the transfer, Cundy said: "My dream was to play for Chelsea. I'd been there since I was 11 and I didn't want to play for anyone else. I was playing well. But I did hear a rumour, maybe two weeks before, someone did mention something to me about Spurs and I was like, 'What are you on about? That's rubbish.'"
He continued: "We were at a hotel near Heathrow where the training ground was on the Monday before the window closed. [Manager] Ian Porterfield phoned me and said, 'We've had a phone call from Spurs, they made an offer, it's been accepted. Terry Venables is going to phone you this afternoon.' That was it."
Cundy felt hugely let down by his boyhood club. He asked the manager if he would be stuck in the reserves if he refused to go, and Porterfield replied, "Not if I've got anything to do with it." Cundy said: "It's almost like I had no say. It was so confusing, going from blissfully happy to being thrown into chaos."
Aftermath
After his cross-London move, Cundy made only 28 appearances for Tottenham. He was loaned to Crystal Palace in 1995, then Bristol City and Ipswich Town in 1996, before joining Ipswich permanently. He retired in 2000 at Portsmouth after years of injury issues.
