Last summer’s Spurs interest in Jack Grealish ended with a frustrating anti-climax for Tottenham fans as the Englishman signed a new contract with his boyhood club, Aston Villa. Now, one year on, there have been reports of Tottenham reigniting their interest in the midfielder (Mirror).
Spurs have struggled for depth in midfield this season, with the likes of Eric Dier, Harry Winks, Moussa Sissoko and Victor Wanyama all having suffered injuries over the course of the campaign. Clearly, Grealish would have been, and would still be, a welcome addition to the Spurs squad.
However, unlike last summer, Aston Villa now find themselves in a much stronger position, having recently cemented their status as a Premier League side for the first time since 2016.
Tottenham arguably have more pulling power this year, however. Having reached the Champions League final, and completed the move into their stunning 62,000 seater stadium, the prospect of playing in North London is more promising this year than it was last.
However, Sky Sports have reported that Grealish will remain at Villa to captain the side in the Premier League in the 2019/20 season. With Premier League status secured, it now seems unlikely that Grealish will trade the claret and blue of Villa for the lilywhite of Spurs.
Earlier in the season, comments made by England manager, Gareth Southgate, had hinted that Grealish would need to push for a move to the Premier League in summer. He justified Grealish’s absence by suggesting that for the Villa midfielder to break into the national team he would need to be playing at the top level.
He stated: “Although we can see the quality, when the evidence of the opponent is a different level, that’s where it’s hard to directly correlate what that’s going to look like at a level above” (Independent).
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These comments from the England boss initially seemed to increase the chances of a move to the Premier League for Jack Grealish and had Villa failed to secure promotion this season a move to Tottenham would certainly have been more likely.
Spurs Web Opinion
Grealish clearly had his sights set on playing in the Premier League to increase his chances of breaking into the England squad. However, having been at Villa since the age of six it’s no surprise to see him remain loyal to them now they have secured Premier League football for next season.
From a Spurs perspective, it is extremely frustrating to see us miss out on such a promising talent. Had we pushed more firmly for the deal last summer Grealish would have provided some added depth in midfield that we so desperately lacked this season. I also think he would be the type of player that would have flourished under Pochettino, much like Dele Alli has since his move from MK Dons.
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