Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Jamie O’Hara has urged the Lilywhites to try and secure Jack Grealish’s signature this summer, even they have to sell Dele Alli to achieve it.
Dele Alli has looked extremely sharp in Tottenham’s pre-season friendlies so far and the midfielder will be hoping to put his injury problems behind him as he gets set for his first full season under Jose Mourinho.
However, Dele failed to make England squad for the upcoming Nations League clashes against Iceland and Denmark.
Grealish, meanwhile, received his first call up to the Three Lions squad as the Aston Villa star was named as the replacement for Spurs midfielder Harry Winks and Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford, who both withdrew from the squad.
Grealish has been on Tottenham’s radar since 2018 (Sun) and The Daily Star reported back in April that the Lilywhites were prepared to spend big on the midfielder this summer.
Manchester United were previously reported to be the front runners for Grealish’s signature but with the Red Devils confirming the capture of Donny Van de Beek, it seems unlikely that the 24-year-old is on his way to Old Trafford this summer.
O’Hara urged Tottenham to snap up the Villa star and insisted that he is a player who the North Londoners needed more than Alli.
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Speaking to talkSPORT, O’Hara said: “I think they (Spurs) would take Grealish over Alli because of the fact that it’s a player we need.
“It’s a position we’ve lost since Christian Eriksen downed tools and wanted out. When Eriksen was at his peak, that was when Spurs played their best football, in my opinion. He was the one that made everything tick.
“Dele Alli is a different player, he’s not going to make things happen, he’s not going to create, he’s not going to hit those key passes; he likes to go beyond the back-four, he’s the runner, like Frank Lampard, he’ll get in the six-yard box and score you goals.
“He’s a different player to what Jack Grealish is, but I think Grealish is a player that Spurs need in that position.
“So if they needed to open up a budget and Dele Alli was the player another club wanted, and the situation they can sign Grealish but they have to get rid of Dele Alli, I think Spurs fans will take that.”
Spurs Web Opinion
While I can see why we wanted Grealish when Pochettino was in charge, but I do not think he will be a good fit for us under Mourinho. Grealish tends to hang on to the ball for far too long as his main asset is his ability to go past players and make things happen. He is not especially good at seeing passes early and helping the team transition from defence to attack.
I understand why Dean Smith played Grealish in central midfield last season as he is Villa’s best player and they had to get him on the ball as frequently as they could. However, like Gareth Southgate, I see Grealish as a winger rather than as an attacking midfielder due to his the attributes he possesses. I would argue however that he does not quite have the dynamism to get 15 goals\assists as a wide forward, which is why his value is currently over-inflated.
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