I felt forced out of Tottenham and made to join Aston Villa – I never wanted to go

David Ginola revealed that he felt forced out of Tottenham Hotspur by then-manager George Graham prior to his transfer to Aston Villa in 2000. Ginola joined Villa in a permanent deal worth £3 million after spending three years at Spurs, stating he never wanted to cut short his time in north London.

In his autobiography 'Le Magnifique', Ginola criticized Graham for deflecting blame onto chairman Alan Sugar while refusing to tell the player directly that he was unwanted. Ginola stated Graham frequently criticized him, substituted him in 36 of 79 starts, and ultimately dropped him for a pre-season friendly against Birmingham City.