Should They Stay or Should They Go: Who Is Leaving Tottenham Hotspur This Summer

Many words and articles over the course of the next few months will be devoted to the players that Tottenham Hotspur should purchase to strengthen the squad. Fewer, however, will be devoted to the players that Tottenham Hotspur should sell. Certainly, Spurs are not the deepest of teams, but there are a number of players that may find themselves surplus to requirements or just not good enough anymore.

We'll begin with William Gallas. The French defender is out of contract at the end of June and barring something truly odd happening, he will be on his way out of White Hart Lane on a free. Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas has expressed his preference for carrying only four central defenders and thus Gallas won't be needed for next season's campaign.

Huerelho Gomes is also likely to find himself heading elsewhere. Though the Brazilian is probably the perfect backup for Hugo Lloris, it seems unlikely that Spurs will dump aging veteran Brad Friedel. Given the choice, I'd prefer to keep Gomes, if only to avoid those cup matches in which we look so discombobulated because Friedel lack of athleticism, but Gomes has more value and as a result is the one most likely to be moved on.

A number of Tottenham fullbacks could also be departing. Benoit Assou-Ekotto seems to be everyone's choice of player most likely to make a move in the summer. The Cameroonian left back could find himself making lots of money in Monaco next season. Danny Rose has also stated his desire for first team football and following a stellar season at Sunderland there's no doubt that he will be coveted by many Premier League teams if he can't get into the Tottenham team. Finally, Kyle Naughton may also want to play more consistently and could angle for a move. His season was less than impressive, but he has a decent track record and may have a few suitors.

Scott Parker played entirely too much for my liking this season and though he did finally put together a couple of good matches at the end of the season, the soon-to-be 33 year old is on the downside of his career. With players like Jake Livermore and Tom Carroll begging to be utilized better and a potential new midfield signing, Parker's tenure with Spurs seems to be close to the end.

Spurs have been trying to rid themselves of David Bentley for years now. The midfielder has one year left on his contract and hopefully this is the summer that he moves on. Any fee for the former England international would be acceptable, but I'm sure Levy will hold out for as much as he can. I wouldn't be surprised to see one more long-term loan deal for Bentley.

Tom Huddlestone played a significant role for Tottenham Hotspur down the stretch, but is he the kind of player that's going to get consistent playing time for a club competing for Champions League football? I think the answer is no. Clubs like Fulham, Stoke, and Sunderland could all do with a classy deep-lying playmaker and if Tottenham bring in another midfielder and decide to play Tom Carroll more I would expect them to let Huddlestone leave, though not for cheap.

Clint Dempsey might also be another player who finds himself heading elsewhere. The purchase of the American didn't make much sense back in August, but he played alright and nabbed his share of goals. However, if Tottenham do bring in another quality wide forward like David Villa or someone else the American might find games hard to come by.

Finally, I have to imagine that one of either Jermain Defoe or Emmanuel Adebayor will be leaving this summer. Adebayor probably has a bigger market for his talents, especially given his connections to Monaco, but the price and wages the Togolese striker is likely to command might make any move unlikely. Defoe is the proverbial square peg in a round hole in Tottenham's tactics, but the market for him is probably very limited. Liverpool may find themselves needing a striker if Luis Suarez leaves and they might not mind having Defoe come in to backup Daniel Sturridge.

Hopefully these sales, if any of them occur, can add a few extra pounds to the transfer kitty and allow Tottenham to purchase Falcao, Moutinho, Eden Dzeko, and every other player we've ever wanted.