WILSON PALACIOS

Honduras international Palacios proved himself to be a class act, with his impressive form for Wigan Athletic leading to a move to Tottenham Hotspur in January 2009 for an undisclosed fee believed to be in the region of £14 million. He started his career alongside four of his brothers at Club Deportivo Victoria before moving to Olimpia and moving to Birmingham City on loan in 2007.

Bruce paid Olimpia a fee in the region of just £700,000 to secure his services and Palacios made an immediate impact, with his performances in the second half of that season attracting interest from Manchester United. When Bruce left Birmingham, he took Palacios with him to Wigan not long afterwards.

Although Palacios played only 41 games for Wigan, his strong, calm and commanding displays in the holding role in the Latics’ midfield had earned him many plaudits - though anyone who has seen him shoot will realise why he never scored for either Birmingham or Wigan. His move to Tottenham was initially held up due to work permit issues but he eventually signed before the transfer window closed to add steel to the Spurs midfield.

However, after a bright start at White Hart Lane, the news of the murder of his brother in May 2009 appeared to affect his performances. He was allowed to join Stoke on the final day of the August transfer window in 2011 for a fee believed to be in the region of £8 million.

Strengths: Athletic and powerful, Palacios possesses an incredible work-rate and a fearless attitude when it comes to tackling.

Weaknesses: Shooting.

Career High: Achieving a place at the 2010 World Cup with Honduras, the country’s first appearance in the finals for 27 years.

Career Low: Despite having an excellent reputation in Honduras, Palacios struggled to get noticed when he was trying to earn a move to Europe. He was rejected by Red Star Belgrade, Cagliari Monaco and Arsenal after trials at the clubs.

Style: A commanding, ball-winning central midfielder who never shies away from a challenge.

Quotes: “Palacios has made a massive difference to this club. He gets on with it, he’s strong, he’s aggressive - he’s what Spurs haven’t had. You get a little group who have seen Palacios come in, work his socks off and close down opponents, and it rubs off on people. He’s not a big-time Charlie - you need people like that to be successful.” Spurs boss Harry Redknapp

Trivia: It took Palacios 61 games to net his first goal in English football, but he eventually scored in Spurs’ 5-1 win against Hull in August 2009.