Tottenham and Antonio Conte have identified Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn as a summer target – a player Jack Grealish raved about in 2019. The Manchester City ace said his old teammate “blew me away” at Villa.
McGinn, 27, has become one of Aston Villa’s best players since he joined the club in 2018 – helping Villa gain promotion back to the Premier League. While the club have made multiple signings, he has been a mainstay.
Clocking up 145 appearances, McGinn is just two games away from clocking up a century in the Premier League, which is likely to come on Sunday – after Thursday’s clash against Burnley. Tottenham want to sign him.
The Telegraph report that the Scotland international has emerged as a contender to improve Conte’s midfield – even if he might cost £40m (Football Scotland). Grealish raved about his old Villa teammate in 2019.
“When he first signed, I’d just had a move to Tottenham fall through. Steve Bruce said to me, ‘things are going to take off – we’ve got McGinn coming in. No disrespect – but I’d never heard of McGinn,” Grealish told the Record.
“I was thinking, ‘he’s coming down from Scotland for about £2m.’ But from the day he walked through the door he blew me away with his attitude and ability. He has been a breath of fresh air for the whole team.”
What Grealish said about Tottenham target McGinn in 2019
McGinn is the ideal type of midfielder Conte wants in his Tottenham midfield. A progressive midfielder, with hard-working defensive qualities but the ability to contribute to attack – and progress defence to attack.
He has a bit of everything. Strength, passing, incredible stamina, and the odd goal. He can even score from long range. For £40million, Spurs could do a lot worse than McGinn and Grealish’s verdict in 2019 proves just that.
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