The Aston Villa man was linked with Tottenham Hotspur for much of the summer.
Speaking to The Birmingham Mail, Lee Hendrie has reflected on Tottenham Hotspur’s reported opening offer for Aston Villa star Jack Grealish.
Tottenham spent most of the summer trying to sign the 22-year-old midfielder, who ultimately elected to stay at Aston Villa and bring closure to the endless speculation.
Spurs bid a reported £25 million for Grealish toward the end of the window – £10 million short of Aston Villa’s valuation – according to Sky Sports.
But their first offer was comfortably below what the Villans were looking for.
According to The Express and Star, Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy offered a mere £3 million plus Josh Onomah – who spent last season on loan at Villa Park – in exchange for the young starlet.
And former Aston Villa man Hendrie, who appears as a guest on Sky Sports, is delighted that Grealish wound up staying in the West Midlands.
“I think keeping Jack was a big enough statement, it speaks for itself,” he told The Birmingham Mail. “I think the fans would have wanted that. I know Jack certainly would have being a Villa lad himself, but there were opportunities for him to maybe leave the club.
“It does speak volumes that the new board do want to get this club back to the Premier League by keeping hold of the best players and building round the likes of Jack Grealish.”
As for the move involving Onomah, Hendrie added: “I think Steve [Bruce] would have bought Jack himself for that sort of fee, 3 million, and took him home and put him in the garden!”
Grealish has been in stunning form for Aston Villa so far this season and the club’s ability to keep him on board certainly looks like it might pay off, especially if Steve Bruce winds up leading them to Premier League promotion this season.
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