‘Jack Grealish was a Tottenham player’ – Ex-Spurs chief reveals two huge transfers to ‘replace irreplaceable’ fell apart
Steve Hitchen Reveals Spurs’ Near Misses with Jack Grealish and Frenkie de Jong
Former Tottenham technical director Steve Hitchen has revealed that Jack Grealish came extremely close to signing for Spurs before his eventual £100 million transfer to Manchester City in 2021.
Speaking on the Decision Makers podcast, Hitchen reflected on Tottenham’s failed £25 million bid for Grealish in 2018, a move that could have transformed the club.
Grealish’s Near Move to Spurs
At the time, Aston Villa were in financial turmoil, and Grealish himself admitted he expected to leave. In September 2018, the England international stated:
“I thought I was leaving. Before the new owners, Villa needed the money, so I kind of accepted that me going would save the club.”
Hitchen, who played a key role in Spurs’ recruitment before departing in 2022, described how close the deal was to happening.
“We were very close to getting Jack Grealish, which would have been probably one of the best signings. Jack was a ‘Tottenham player’—he had the skills, he would have got the fans off their seats, and he would have made a difference in that period,” he said.
Hitchen also suggested that Grealish and Dele Alli could have pushed each other to greater heights at Tottenham.
“To miss out on that player was massive in that period.”
Despite being in need of reinforcements, Tottenham failed to sign a single player in the entire 2018 summer transfer window, a decision that drew criticism at the time.
Frenkie de Jong: Another Near Miss for Spurs
Hitchen also revealed that Tottenham were on the verge of signing Frenkie de Jong as a replacement for Mousa Dembele, who left for Guangzhou R&F in January 2019.
“We were really close to getting Frenkie de Jong,” Hitchen admitted.
He emphasized that the Dutch midfielder would have been a perfect fit for Spurs, just as Grealish would have been.
“I think Frenkie de Jong, again, is a ‘Tottenham player’. I think he would have made a big difference for us.”
De Jong ultimately joined Barcelona in 2019, where he remains a key player.
Life After Tottenham
Since leaving Spurs, Hitchen has taken on a new role as director of football at Unique Sports Group (USG). The agency represents high-profile stars such as Reece James, Anthony Gordon, Marc Guehi, and Brennan Johnson.
While Tottenham missed out on both Grealish and De Jong, these revelations offer an intriguing look at what could have been for the North London club.
