A regular goal-scorer in the lower leagues, Bobby Zamora had travelled a long way before making it back to London.  He had been told that he was woo small by Norwich City and had to move to Bristol Rovers to get an apprenticeship, but he failed to break into the team and after a spell on loan at Bath City, Brighton and Hove Albion came on for him on a loan spell, which lead to a permanent transfer with his six goals in six games impressing the South Coast club.

Once established, he obviously felt at home there, as he continued to score prolifically, bringing him to the attention of many Championship and Premiership clubs.  Two promotions in two seasons with the Seagulls took them to the First Division, but 2002-03 saw a knee injury restrict him to 14 goals in the team that ended up being relegated.  His England Under-21 appearances had marked him out as a player who could hold his own in more esteemed company, so Tottenham watched him frequently to make sure he would fit into the team and his signing saw Spurs get in ahead of many of their rivals.  A player who Glenn Hoddle had been watching for two years was finally snapped up in July 2003 for £1.5 million on a three year deal, with an option of another three years after that.  The price would have been almost double that a year previous, but the deflated transfer market and the fact that his former side now reside in Division Two helped Spurs get Zamora for a reasonable price.

A strong young man, Zamora had the ability to hold off players, was mobile, quick when running with the ball and good in the air, as well as having an unerring shot, but sometimes, he awareness of other players was not always what it should have been.  Was a good target and possessed good his movement off the ball, which makes him an outlet from defence and also creates space for others.

Bobby showed a good attitude and some sharp goal-scoring in pre-season (two goals in his first 45 minutes at the club in the friendly against Oxford United), but failed to get much of a look-in during first team matches, leading to a frustrating time at Spurs.  He may have started off on the bench in the 2003-04 campaign to start off with, as Hoddle ideally wanted to start with Keane and Kanoute, but his performances were typified by lots of aggression and energy, but with a little bit of luck he could have had a goal or two.  His work-rate endeared him to the fans and when he came on to score in extra-time against West Ham United in the League Cup, it looked as if that might have been the breakthrough for him.  It wasn't though and Bobby didn't really get a fair crack of the whip at White Hart Lane. After Hoddle's dismissal and the return to fitness of both Kanoute and Keane, Zamora was edged out, but some good reserve performances were cancelled out by some minor knocks and his fledgling Tottenham career was a stuttering one. 

He left after just five months, as part of the deal to bring Jermain Defoe to Tottenham, with Bobby (valued at £1 million and a cash adjustment going the other way making the deal worth £7 million for West Ham.