Levy badgered me every day: Steve Bruce says Tottenham were desperate to sign £100M player

Steve Bruce revealed that Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy persistently pursued Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish six years ago, attempting to secure his signature.

During Levy’s tenure as chairman, Tottenham has missed out on notable signings, including Bruno Fernandes, who opted for Manchester United over Spurs in January 2020, and Willian, who chose Chelsea over Tottenham in 2013.

Sadio Mane is another player who slipped through Tottenham’s grasp, joining Liverpool despite interest from then-manager Mauricio Pochettino.

Manchester City’s Jack Grealish is another player Tottenham pursued but failed to sign, with the Englishman eventually moving to the Etihad Stadium for a British record fee of £100 million in 2021.

Steve Bruce, who managed Aston Villa at the time, disclosed further details about Tottenham’s pursuit of Grealish, stating that Levy contacted him daily during the summer of 2018, attempting to secure a deal for the midfielder.

Bruce resisted Levy’s advances, ultimately rejecting Tottenham’s offer of £8 million for Grealish, despite Aston Villa’s financial difficulties at the time.

Levy persisted in his pursuit of Grealish, even amidst Aston Villa’s financial turmoil following the departure of Keith Wyness, but Bruce and Villa’s management stood firm in their decision not to sell the midfielder.

Eventually, new ownership at Aston Villa offered Grealish a new contract, securing his future at the club, and the rest, as Bruce stated, is history.

Tottenham increased their offer for Grealish to £25 million in 2018, but Villa rejected the bid, and with the club under new ownership, Grealish became unavailable for any price.

Aston Villa’s decision not to sell Grealish proved to be shrewd, as they later sold him to Manchester City for a significantly higher fee, quadrupling the amount they could have received just three years earlier.

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