[ad_1]
One of Tottenham’s all-time greats has revealed to talkSPORT that Jose Mourinho made serious enquiries over a possible transfer for striker Ollie Watkins, before he joined Aston Villa last summer.
Spurs’ record appearance holder Steve Perryman was director of football at Exeter City when the Devonshire club sold academy star Watkins to Brentford in 2017.
Perryman has an affinity to Brentford, too, having been player-manager at the club after ending his 17-year career at White Hart Lane.
It made him the perfect man to call when Mourinho wanted to know more about Watkins, who was linked with a move to Spurs last summer after a stunning season for the Bees.
Watkins ended the 2019/20 campaign as the Championship’s joint top scorer and was crowned the 2020 Championship Player of the Year after netting 26 goals in 50 appearances for the club in all competitions.
Mourinho, who was and still is keen to find a decent back-up to Harry Kane, got in touch with Perryman to get the Tottenham legend’s verdict on the forward.
But it appears the club didn’t follow through with the White Hart Lane hero’s advice, as Watkins eventually signed for Aston Villa in September 2020 instead for a club-record £28million.
And Perryman has revealed just how close the north London club came to landing the 25-year-old.
Speaking to talkSPORT 2 ahead of Spurs’ Carabao Cup clash against Brentford on Tuesday, the legend said: “The only influence I’ve had at Brentford in the past however many years was to be part of the Exeter City regime that sold Ollie Watkins to them.
“They made him into a player… well, he was going to be a player anyway, but he’s doing terrifically well now at Aston Villa, and Exeter have earned their money out of him with sell-on fees.
“Tottenham did have two little bites at Ollie Watkins, I have to say.
“When eventually he went to Brentford I know David Pleat was very, very strong that Tottenham should have a poke at him, but they ultimately didn’t.
Tony Cascarino thinks Spurs aren’t title contenders with current style of play
“I eventually spoke to Jose, for the first ever time in my life, when he phoned me and asked me my opinion on Ollie.
“I told him what I knew and gave him my take on it all, but they went in a different direction, and I’m not saying they were wrong to have done that.
“But in a way it was a good move for Ollie because he’s playing every week at Aston Villa, and if he had signed for Tottenham I’m not sure that he would be playing every week.
“Tottenham would have been a tough call for him.”
talkSPORT brings you full LIVE commentary of Tottenham vs Brentford in the Carabao Cup, kick-off 7:45pm
[ad_2]
Source link
Comments are closed.