That is now no longer the case.
His first season, on loan from Manchester City, produced 17 league goals and convinced the club to make the move permanent.
Adebayor's reputation for "playing for a contract," which he himself has addressed, did not dissuade Spurs and they eventually agreed to bring him down to London.
Three seasons later, it is time for Spurs to move on.
Since completing his transfer, Adebayor has scored 23 goals in 69 appearances. Those figures compare very favourably with his Spurs rival Roberto Soldado.
In fact, Adebayor has scored at almost the same rate for Spurs as he did during his Arsenal career.