Tottenham Hotspur’s record signing of young striker Mason Melia should be a ‘statement’ to Irish football, according to the player’s uncle and representative Clive Clarke.
Spurs confirmed the transfer of the 17-year-old St Patrick’s Athletic player on Tuesday evening with the teenager due to arrive at the club at the start of the next January transfer window, following his 18th birthday. The deal will see Spurs pay an initial fee of €1.8 million (£1.5m), rising to a possible £3.5m with a 20 percent sell on clause.
It’s a record transfer fee for a player moving out fo the League of Ireland. Speaking to RTE Radio 1 Morning Ireland, St Patrick’s manager Stephen Kenny revealed how Spurs won the race for the forward: “Garrett Kelleher, the (Pat’s) owner, was highly involved in negotiations, that’s certainly outside my remit,” he said.
“He could have gone to Italy, Germany or Belgium – he could have moved there (to those countries) this year or last year – but he got the move that he wanted. I think the move to Tottenham is the one that he really wanted.”
Melia is the nephew of former Premier League and Republic of Ireland left-back Clive Clarke, who also represents the player. He also revealed how Spurs beat off competition for the transfer.
“It’s through Mason’s hard work that it has been able to happen,” Clarke told RTÉ Radio 1 this morning. “He went over to Spurs three years ago [to visit], it’s a club he thinks very fondly of. We probably had 50 or 60 offers throughout Europe.
