Hull City
Born:
Joined the Tigers:
18th August 1981, Stafford
25th July 2008, from Tottenham Hotspur (on loan)
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After coming to prominence as a teenager at Port Vale, tall centre half Gardner was a million pound player at 19 when he signed for Tottenham. But in seven seasons he was rarely a first team regular and Phil Brown took a measured gamble when signing him on a four month loan during the Summer of 2008, a deal that was made permanent five weeks later in return for a payment of £2.5 million, a new record fee for the Tigers. Gardner showed great promise but suffered two serious injuries that denied him game time, the second at Arsenal in the Cup. His return to the first team in 2009-10 has assisted the City defence considerably and his role will be pivotal to City's survivla if he can stay fit for a protracted length of time.