Japhet Tanganga says this summer was the right time for him to leave Tottenham Hotspur but admitted that he aims to be back in the Premier League before too long.
Japhet Tanganga didn’t quite make it at Spurs
Tanganga initially showed plenty of promise after breaking into the first-team but a combination of injuries and falling out of favour with various managers saw him struggle to rack up consistent minutes at the North London club.
The 25-year-old impressed on loan at Millwall during the second half of last season and signed permanently for the Championship side earlier his summer after being released by Tottenham.
While it was not the ideal way to leave his boyhood club, the Spurs academy graduate insisted that he does not have any regrets and remains proud of what he achieved at Hotspur Way.
It was the right time for Tanganga to leave
When asked about his departure from Spurs, Tanganga told PA Sport: “Yeah, it was the right time, definitely. It gets to a point and for me, it got to a point a bit earlier than that, but it was a matter of finding the right team to play again.
“As sad as it was, being there for such a long time since I was a kid growing up through the academy and going into the first team, it was definitely time to move on. There were multiple things that didn’t go how I planned in my head or how I thought it would, but I don’t think there are regrets.
“I did what I did at Spurs. Great achievement to go from the academy to playing for the first team. That’s something I will always remember. Everything happens for a reason and onto the next step. I wish they do really good things in the future.”
Tanganga also made it clear that his goal is to be back in the Premier League and suggested that the Lions can compete for the playoff places this season.
He added: “For me, it is important to deal with what’s in front of me and that’s to play as many games in the Championship. Of course the Premier League, I have played in it, seen what it is like and I would love to go back there.
“That is on my mind for the future, but for now it is to concentrate on playing in the Championship and that is definitely at a high level. If we continue the way we finished off last season with that foundation, the way we put together that consistent run, if we continue to be good defensively and listen to what the gaffer wants, then who knows what can happen?
“It is definitely an aim to finish higher than we did last season and win as many games as possible. We want to try to get into the play-offs or even the automatic-promotion places.”
Spurs Web Opinion
There is no doubt that Tanganga has all the attributes to be a top defender and if he can stay injury-free, I see him being back in the Premier League within a couple of years.
