Norwegian publication VG have dug into Jack Grealish’s failed move to Tottenham and spoke to the winger’s father to get an inside scoop on the matter.
It is well documented that before Grealish completed his £100m move to Manchester City in 2021, the attacker had attracted interest from both Manchester United and Spurs (Daily Mail).
Speaking to The Telegraph in 2018 after Spurs failed with a bid of around £25m, the England international admitted his disappointment at the club’s inability to agree on a fee and felt that by plying his trade in N17 he would have forced his way into Gareth Southgate’s plans.
VG have now explained Spurs initially offered €8m (£6.9m) before tabling a second offer of around €25m (£21.5m) with a ‘fat five-year contract’ for the player.
The outlet spoke to Jack’s father, Kevin, who revealed that he did not want his son to make the switch to N17 since Spurs were penny-pinching.
He is quoted as saying about the failed move: “I said put some real money on the table. I didn’t want to see the club in our hearts robbed of money. I said ‘no, Jack is not going’. Something was not right. They tried to get him cheap. For pennies. Maybe I was naive, but I said ‘we’re not going’.”
Neville Williams/Aston Villa FC via Getty Images
Would Jack Grealish have thrived at Tottenham?
Tottenham made it to the final of the Champions League that season and Kevin admitted that he felt at that time that he might have made a mistake saying no to the Lilywhites.
He added: “I thought ‘have I made a complete fool of myself?’, ‘have I messed it up?’’ And ‘will Jack ever get the chance to play against such great players?’
“It was Jack who got them up. When he returned and became captain, the odds were 20 to manage promotion. I know it’s a team game, but still… The next year he was also the one who kept Villa up. Then he left for £100m.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Not signing Grealish remains one of the biggest transfer bundlers Spurs have made in the ENIC era as it was apparent even when he was in the Championship that the attacker was a special talent.
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