Adebayor visiting ill family member

There's been a lot of speculation over the reasons for Emmanuel Adebayor's recent absence from the club, ranging from something related to the juju reports that emerged a few weeks ago to a falling out with the manager. According to Matt Law from the Telegraph it turns out that a close relative of the striker has fallen ill and the club has granted Adebayor indefinite compassionate leave.

Telegraph Sport understands that Adebayor asked for permission to travel to Ghana, where he has a home, after learning that a close family member was extremely ill and Spurs have described the situation as a "private matter."

This makes a great deal of sense, given that Spurs have gone out of their way to describe it as a private matter. When you look at how they've addressed players having problems with the club in the past, like Benoit Assou-Ekkoto or even Adebayor, they rarely get this specific, if they even address it at all.

Despite his poor form earlier in the year, it would be nice to have a third striker for this busy part of the fixture list, especially considering that we will be playing two strikers a fair amount. It would be beneficial for everyone's fitness if he was back in time for some of the Christmas fixtures, but more he clearly has more important issues to deal with right now.

We wish Adebayor and his family the best. Here's hoping for a quick recovery.