Jack Grealish has revealed he was “95 per cent sure” he was joining Tottenham over the summer and was convinced at the start of deadline day the blockbuster transfer would still be completed.
In an interview with the Telegraph, the Aston Villa playmaker revealed he bid farewell to the supporters of his boyhood club at the end of the team’s 3-1 Championship opener winner at Hull City on Monday, 6 August, three days before the Premier League window shut.
“At Hull, I was 95 per cent sure it was going to be my last game. I waved to the fans when I got taken off as I thought I was going,” Grealish said.
“Even on the Thursday morning of the transfer window, I thought I was leaving. At that time it could have got done, but for whatever reason it didn’t.
“They (Spurs) weren’t willing to pay what Villa wanted at the time. But the new owners came in and they changed everything.”
The former England Under-21 international admitted his heartache at missing out on a move to a Champions League club.
Grealish told the Telegraph: “Of course, there’s going to be disappointment there. You’ve just got to look at what Spurs have done this season. They’ve beaten Manchester United 3-0 at Old Trafford, they’re playing Barcelona in the Champions League next week.
“I felt that if I’d gone there I could have maybe been in the England squad by the end of the year. I would never have gone there just to make up the numbers.”
OPINION
Grealish is honest and insightful about the transfer heartache he suffered over the summer, when Spurs were convinced they could get the attacking midfielder for a knockdown price because of Villa’s financial woes, but then the goalposts were moved by the Championship club’s takeover. The Londoners offered £25million for Grealish but Villa were reluctant to sell and announced this week the player had signed a five-year deal worth £45million. Reports claim the contract contains a release clause of around £60million. If that is the case, there is zero chance of Spurs smashing their transfer record of £42million to sign him. Grealish is a dazzling player on his day and one of the best in the Championship, but he is not proven in the Premier League and, as he recognises, still has much to learn. Tottenham are in need of a top-quality midfielder to design the play and launch attacks, especially with Mousa Dembele set to leave. It’s surely unlikely Grealish will now be that man.