 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 . 
