Peter Crouch: 'Tottenham Hotspur have gone backwards'

Former Tottenham Hotspur striker Peter Crouch has claimed that the club has gone backwards since he left for Stoke City.

The 34-year-old returned to White Hart Lane in 2010 and was a key member of the side which finished fourth in the Premier League and reached the Champions League quarter-finals under Harry Redknapp.

Crouch, who left Spurs to join current club Stoke in 2011, has suggested that the current squad is not as good as the one that he left behind.

"The side I played in was fantastic we had some amazing players, and I think they have gone backwards since then – it's pretty obvious to say that," Crouch told talkSPORT.

"A lot of those players have moved on for whatever reason, and they've tried to replace them with foreign players – players who perhaps don't know the league as well as the players I played with.

"There's been a couple of changes in management as well, so it's not as settled there as it was when I was at the club. But I like the manager [Mauricio Pochettino] and I think he will get it right. They've got a young side and maybe it will take time to get back there."

Crouch scored 24 goals in 94 appearances for Spurs.