They played for both Tottenham and West Ham - but who got the better deal?

North and East

It’s less than 10 miles round the North Circular between Tottenham and West Ham, and dozens of players have made the journey in either direction – some in both. Among their number are legends and less memorable names… but which club got the better end of their careers? Read on to discover…

18. Matthew Etherington

Signed by Spurs in 2000, Etherington spent three seasons at White Hart Lane without ever really establishing himself in the first team. The winger handed in a transfer request in 2002 but failed to secure a move away; a few months later, he surprised fans by finally making the breakthrough and enjoying a run of starts for the first time in his Tottenham career.

His six years at West Ham between 2003 and 2009 were far more fruitful, however, Etherington playing 195 times as the club earned promotion from the Championship, reached the FA Cup final and secured two top-half finishes in the Premier League.

Rating per club: Tottenham 5/10, West Ham 7/10

17. Serhiy Rebrov

After starring alongside Andriy Shevchenko for Dynamo Kyiv in the late 1990s, Rebrov made the move to Tottenham at the turn of the millennium. Twelve goals in 36 games in 2000/01 was a respectable return for a striker playing his first season in English football, but Rebrov found the net just three times the following campaign and was duly sold to Fenerbahce.

Spurs weren’t his only London-based employers, though, with West Ham bringing the forward back to the capital in 2004. Alan Pardew successfully restored the club’s top-flight status, but Rebrov contributed only one goal in 27 league appearances.

Rating per club: Tottenham 7/10, West Ham 4/10

16. Bobby Zamora

Zamora was the key figure in Brighton’s rise from the fourth tier to the second between 2000 and 2003, the striker scoring 77 goals to put Albion within one promotion of the Premier League. Such predatory instincts alerted Spurs, but Zamora scored just once in 18 outings and was hastily shipped off to West Ham.

The 6ft frontman fared much better across London, although he was never as prolific as in his Brighton days. Zamora did help the Hammers back to the top flight in 2004/05, though, before scoring twice en route to the FA Cup final in 2005/06.

Rating per club: Tottenham 3/10, West Ham 7/10

15. Neil Ruddock

Although Ruddock progressed through the youth ranks at Millwall, it was Tottenham who handed him his professional debut in 1986. The centre-back’s maiden appearance quickly turned from dream to nightmare, though, with a broken leg leaving him sidelined for several months.

Ruddock returned to White Hart Lane in 1992 after three years with Southampton, spending another season with Spurs before joining Liverpool. He pitched up at West Ham later in the decade, making 42 Premier League appearances as the east Londoners finished fifth and ninth under Harry Redknapp.

Rating per club: Tottenham 6/10, West Ham 6/10

14. Mitchell Thomas

When manager David Pleat swapped Luton for Tottenham in 1986, he brought Thomas with him. The defender ended his debut season with an appearance in the FA Cup final, but Spurs were on the wrong end of 3-2 reverse against Coventry and left Wembley empty-handed.

Thomas appeared in 157 games for Tottenham before his £525,000 switch to West Ham in 1991. The Irons were relegated in the left-back’s first campaign at Upton Park, but Thomas helped them back into the top flight before re-joining Luton in 1994.

Rating per club: Tottenham 7/10, West Ham 6/10

13. Les Ferdinand

After perhaps the two best seasons of his career at Newcastle, Ferdinand swapped St James’ Park for White Hart Lane in 1997. He didn’t exactly hit the ground running in a Spurs shirt, scoring just 12 goals in his first three campaigns, but the striker improved to strike 10 times in 2000/01 and on 15 occasions the following year.

He later spent half a season at West Ham, netting two goals in 14 matches in 2002/03. That wasn’t enough to save the Hammers from a shock relegation to the second tier, with Ferdinand duly joining Leicester in the summer.

Rating per club: Tottenham 7/10, West Ham 4/10

12. John Moncur

Moncur may be heavily associated with West Ham, but his first steps as a professional came at Tottenham. The midfielder broke through at White Hart Lane in the mid-1980s but struggled to nail down a place in the first team, which saw him loaned out to several clubs before his permanent departure in 1992.

Two years at Swindon proceeded Moncur’s move to West Ham, where he remained until retirement in 2003. His combative style quickly made him a fans’ favourite at Upton Park, Moncur ending his Hammers career with 203 appearances to his name.

Rating per club: Tottenham 4/10, West Ham 8/10

11. Chris Hughton

The Brighton manager came through the ranks at White Hart Lane, establishing himself in the Tottenham side in 1979 and winning two FA Cups and the UEFA Cup the following decade. One of Spurs’ greatest ever full-backs, Hughton made 398 appearances for the club before departing for West Ham in 1990.

Having been born just 10 minutes from Upton Park, the Republic of Ireland international was delighted to make the move, admitting “it was like going home”. His West Ham career amounted to just 32 league games, but Hughton did help the east Londoners win promotion to the Premier League under club legend Billy Bonds in 1992.  

Rating per club: Tottenham 9/10, West Ham 6/10

10. Scott Parker

Parker’s debut season at West Ham was disrupted by injury, but he made up for lost time in subsequent campaigns. The all-action midfielder established himself as the heartbeat of the team in 2008/09, winning the club’s Player of the Year award and then successfully defending his crown the following term. Parker made it three in a row in 2010/11, while also claiming the FWA Footballer of the Year prize despite the Hammers’ relegation.

The former Charlton and Chelsea man enjoyed a productive early 30s, becoming an England regular after joining Spurs in August 2011. He made 34 appearances in his first season at the club, followed by 29 in his second as Andre Villas-Boas narrowly missed out on a top-four finish.

Rating per club: Tottenham 7/10, West Ham 8/10

9. Clive Allen

Born in the East End of London, Allen spent plenty of his playing days in the capital. As well as time on the books of QPR, Arsenal, Crystal Palace, Chelsea and Millwall, Allen represented both Tottenham and West Ham, scoring 84 goals in 135 games for the former and winning both the PFA and FWA Player of the Year awards in 1986/87.

His time at Upton Park wasn’t quite as successful, but Allen’s 14 goals in 1992/93 were essential to West Ham’s promotion to the Premier League. The forward fell out of favour the following season and was linked with a move back to Spurs, before ultimately joining Millwall instead.

Rating per club: Tottenham 9/10, West Ham 7/10

8. Robbie Keane

After hopping between Wolves, Coventry, Inter and Leeds in his early years as a professional, Keane finally settled down at Tottenham in 2002. The Irish striker spent six uninterrupted seasons at White Hart Lane, scoring 107 goals in all competitions before joining Liverpool in 2008.

His employment at Anfield didn’t last long, though, with Keane back at Spurs five months later. He was never able to fully recapture the form he showed consistently throughout his first period at the club, but the frontman still added 15 goals to his overall Spurs tally. Keane later joined West Ham on loan from their London rivals, scoring twice in 10 matches.

Rating per club: Tottenham 8/10, West Ham 5/10

7. Freddie Kanoute

Kanoute initially arrived at Upton Park on loan from Lyon, but some impressive performances early on in his West Ham career persuaded manager Harry Redknapp to make the move permanent. The Malian formed a promising partnership with Paolo Di Canio and averaged a goal every three games for the Hammers, but many fans didn’t warm to his languid style.

Spurs stepped in to bring the striker across London in 2003, with Kanoute netting a respectable 12 goals in 31 outings in his debut campaign. He struggled to nail down a starting place the following season, though, scoring just nine goals and departing for Sevilla in summer 2005.

Rating per club: Tottenham 6/10, West Ham 7/10

6. Michael Carrick

A boyhood Newcastle fan born in the northeast of England, Carrick nevertheless began his career with West Ham. After winning the FA Youth Cup alongside Joe Cole and Stephen Bywater in May 1999, the deep-lying midfielder broke into the first team later that year and went on to make 159 appearances for the Hammers.

Carrick remained at the club even after relegation to the First Division in 2003, but West Ham’s failure to win promotion saw him depart the following year. Tottenham was his destination, with the England international becoming a regular starter after a difficult first couple of months at White Hart Lane. After two seasons with Spurs, Carrick was sold to Manchester United for an initial fee of £14m.

Rating per club: Tottenham 7/10, West Ham 7/10

5. Paul Allen

Allen became the youngest player to appear in an FA Cup final at Wembley when he started for West Ham against Arsenal in 1980, with Trevor Brooking’s goal settling the showpiece in the Irons’ favour. It was a fantastic start to Allen’s career at Upton Park, which spanned six seasons and also featured promotion to the First Division in 1981.

The midfielder moved to Tottenham four years later, before reaching another FA Cup final in 1987; that one was lost to Coventry, but Allen and Spurs made amends by beating Nottingham Forest to claim the trophy in 1991. By the time of his departure in 1993, Allen had played 377 times for the north Londoners.

Rating per club: Tottenham 8/10, West Ham 8/10

4. Jermain Defoe

Only four men have scored more goals for Tottenham than Defoe, whose 143 strikes include 23 in European competition – a club record. The current Bournemouth striker had two spells at White Hart Lane, netting 64 times between 2003 and 2008, and on 79 occasions between 2009 and 2014.

It was in east London that Defoe began his career, though, the ex-England international making his senior bow for West Ham in 2000. He spent two-and-a-half seasons as a first-team regular at Upton Park, notching 41 goals in 105 appearances.

Rating per club: Tottenham 9/10, West Ham 7/10

3. Martin Peters

Academy product Peters made 364 appearances in a West Ham shirt between 1962 and 1970. As well as winning the World Cup in that period – the midfielder scored the non-Geoff Hurst goal in England’s 4-2 final victory over West Germany – Peters helped the Hammers to their first European trophy, the Cup Winners’ Cup, in 1965.

Tottenham paid a record £200,000 to sign the Essex-born creator at the start of the 1970s, with Peters going on to feature in 260 matches for the north Londoners. His five-year spell at the Lane brought two League Cup winner’s medals, with Spurs and Peters also triumphant in the 1972 UEFA Cup.

2. Teddy Sheringham

London-born Sheringham began his career with another capital club, spending eight years with Millwall before a single-season stint at Nottingham Forest. Tottenham brought the striker back to the Big Smoke in 1992, with Sheringham going on to score 99 goals in 195 games.

He returned to White Hart Lane in 2001 after four seasons with Manchester United, netting 26 times before moving to Portsmouth two years later. Sheringham was then integral to West Ham’s promotion back to the Premier League, scoring 20 Championship goals in 2004/05 and later helping the club consolidate their top-flight status.

Rating per club: Tottenham 9/10, West Ham 7/10

1. Jimmy Greaves

Harry Kane continues to break records with his goalscoring exploits, but Tottenham’s current centre-forward has a long way to go before he matches Greaves’ tally for the club. The World Cup winner found the net a record 266 times for Spurs, helping the north Londoners to two FA Cups and second place in the First Division in 1963.

Greaves swapped White Hart Lane for Upton Park in 1970, spending 18 months with West Ham before retiring. The striker scored 13 goals in his 40 appearances in all competitions, as Ron Greenwood’s men avoided relegation to the Second Division in Greaves’ only full season with the club.

Rating per club: Tottenham 10/10, West Ham 6/10

Overall club ratings: Tottenham 143, West Ham 127