Home-grown Aston Villa starlet Jack Grealish has today signed for Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of around £23 million.
Grealish did not want to leave his boyhood club, but with the threat of financial fair play sanctions looming due to the club's £40 million deficit and a large amount of debt after the club's gamble to return to the Premier League ended in disaster with a 1-0 loss to Fulham in the Sky Bet Championship Play-Off Final, the board decided to sell.
The local lad has been tipped for great things in the Midlands for a number of years, but looked to never reach the heights that potential could take him until last season -where a freak injury in a pre-season game against Watford left him sidelined for months.
After that, he decided to work on his game and strength and returned the the first team line-up full of beans.
"It's with a heavy heart that I have left Aston Villa.
I love this club, and although I do have international team aspirations - my love for the club is much stronger than that.
I will be back. One day.
But until then, I wish Aston Villa the best of luck."
