 After one season outside the Premier League, Carrick felt compelled to leave the First Division, saying: "the truth is I didn 't feel I could play First Division football much longer." He was linked with moves to a number of teams including Portsmouth, Arsenal, Everton, West Bromwich Albion and Crystal Palace before Tottenham Hotspur emerged as front-runners to sign him. On 20 August, a deal was agreed between West Ham and Tottenham for the transfer of Carrick subject to a medical. Four days later, the transfer was official as Carrick joined the club for around £ 3.5 million after the passing of a medical. He made a goalscoring appearance for the Tottenham reserves, but his first team debut for the club was delayed after suffering an injury setback on 14 September. Carrick was assigned the number 23 shirt and made his Tottenham debut on 18 October as a substitute in a 1 – 0 defeat at Portsmouth.
