Tottenham Hotspur were reportedly interested in Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish in 2018.
The former Arsenal star believes that Grealish has outgrown Villa and should leave the Villans at the end of the season.
Smith, who now works as a pundit for Sky Sports, has also suggested that the 24-year-old – who can also operate as a winger – is twice the player now than when Spurs wanted to sign him.
According to a report in The Telegraph back in August 2018, Spurs made an offer of £25 million to sign Grealish from Villa, but no move materialised.
Smith wrote in The London Evening Standard: “Though it pains me to say it, Grealish is too good for Villa in their present state. The boy needs to move on, whether or not the club stays in the top flight.”
Smith added: “The thing is, Grealish is a bit different with the way he plays. He would add something useful to all the top clubs, including Tottenham, Sunday’s opponents, who came close to capturing him a couple of summers back.
“Grealish, however, is twice the player now and I’d be amazed if he wasn’t included in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the two upcoming friendlies.”
Leaving Aston Villa
Grealish is one of the best attacking players in the Premier League, and the 24-year-old would make Tottenham better.
Villa are a massive club, but it is unlikely that the Villans will be challenging for top honours or for the Europa League places anytime soon, and one suspects that they could be tempted to cash in on him in the summer transfer window should a big offer come in.
According to WhoScored, the 24-year-old has scored seven goals and provided five assists in 23 Premier League games for Villa so far this season.
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