Tottenham Hotspur had the opportunity to sign Michael Olise, who has now evolved into one of the best in the world, but the Lilywhites declined the deal.
There are several big deals that Spurs have missed out on over the years, many of which supporters look back on with heavy dreams of what could have been.
The likes of Eden Hazard, Luis Suarez, Bruno Fernandes and Jack Grealish could have all ended up at Tottenham had things worked out differently and had the Lilywhites pushed the envelope.
Spurs fans can now add another player to the list of ‘what ifs’, with a journalist revealing that the North Londoners were handed an opportunity to land a Bayern Munich superstar.
Tottenham rejected Michael Olise due to attitude problems
Presenter Natalie Sawyer has now shared that Spurs were offered the chance to land Olise when he was still a teenager.
However, the club turned down the deal due to issues with the winger’s attitude, leading the Frenchman to join Reading instead, and he found himself in the Premier League with Crystal Palace just two years later.
Sawyer told talkSPORT: “I have a story that I was told (about Olise). He could have signed for Tottenham. He was brought in to Tottenham at a very young age, and part of the reason they didn’t sign him was because of issues with his attitude. This is what I was told.
“He then went to Reading. The difference between what happened at Tottenham and what happened at Reading was because Reading had to keep him because he was so good; they can work around this player. Whereas Tottenham thought, ‘Well, we’ve got numerous stars’.”
Why Spurs cannot be blamed for Olise miss
While other missed deals, such as Suarez and Grealish, were down to Tottenham not willing to pay the asking price, this Olise situation is very different.
No one could have known how good the winger would become at the time, which is why he ended up moving to Reading rather than a Premier League club.
This development also raises a debate on whether clubs should excuse things like a poor attitude or other behavioural shortcomings if a young player is blessed with immense ability.
Different coaches may have different possibilities, with some specialising in getting the best out of characters that are not easy to manage, while others prefer to have a squad full of selfless individuals, even if that means sacrificing some quality.