Former Tottenham and England star Andros Townsend is 'stuck' in Turkey without a club after seeing a risky transfer decision backfire.
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Townsend stuck in Turkey without a clubSigned for Turkish Super Lig club AntalyasporAntalyaspor then hit with transfer banWHAT HAPPENED?
Townsend, who joined Luton Town in October 2023, appeared in the club's Championship opener against Burnley on August 12 for 10 minutes as the Hatters suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat. After the game, he received an offer from Turkish Super Lig side Antalyaspor, but he had to confirm and complete the move within 24 hours.
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Antalyaspor made the offer to the ex-England international at a time when they were on the verge of being handed a transfer ban. As a result, they issued a deadline to Luton and Townsend, before which he had to complete all the formalities and get registered with the club. The player and the English side, however, missed the deadline by a couple of hours, which has now led to the winger being stranded in Turkey without a club.
WHAT ANDROS TOWNSEND SAID
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live from Turkey, the 33-year-old said: "[It's] three days before the start of the season at Luton. I get a call from Antalyaspor saying 'We have an offer for you but you've got 24 hours to respond because we've got a transfer ban coming and we need to get you in before the transfer ban'.
"So no time to think about it. I managed to negotiate to be involved in the first game for Luton, played 10 minutes in that, and then it was literally all signed, all done. Then we missed the deadline by a couple of hours. So the contract is signed with Antalyaspor, they can't officially register me, and they can't announce me because they have a transfer ban. So I'm literally just stuck in Antalyaspor just training. I don't know who owns me. I don't know where my contract is. So yeah, that's me."
GettyWHAT NEXT FOR ANDROS TOWNSEND?
Townsend, who played for clubs like Tottenham Hotspur, Everton, Newcastle United and Crystal Palace, took a huge gamble by stepping out of England for the first time in the twilight of his career but unfortunately, it backfired. It is not yet known whether the experienced winger will be able to play again before the Turkish Super Lig side's transfer ban gets removed.