It’s OK not to be able to sign every player you like. Arsenal failed to sign Dusan Vlahovic, Newcastle United couldn’t get Robin Gosens, Barcelona missed out on Alvaro Morata. But how can Tottenham Hotspur directors justify not being able to lure Lewes’ Ollie Tanner to sign?1-0 Tanner. Boom! pic.twitter.com/FaRWlOl029— Rookmeister (@Rookmeister) January 15, 2022 Who, we can already hear you ask. Ollie Tanner, 19-year-old winger for Lewes FC was on the verge of a Tottenham move after the 7th-tier club accepted an offer from the Premier League side, but ultimately the player rejected the transfer, opting to stay and compete in the Isthmian League.It’s not common to read such news. It’s a given that players dream of making the step up from the lower leagues to the big time, where there is more money and opportunities to secure one’s professional future. But, apparently, not every player will jump to the opportunity – at least not the first one that presents itself.Meet Ollie Tanner. He plays for 7th tier side Lewes FC. Tottenham want to sign him but he rejected them because they weren’t offering enough wages.❌ Franck Kessié ❌ Luis Díaz ❌ Adama Traoré❌ Ollie Tanner✍️ @TheAthleticUK pic.twitter.com/Td12TYbhbN— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) January 30, 2022 Tanner has only joined the fan-owned club Lewes just over six months ago after coming through the youth ranks of Charlton Athletic and then Arsenal. He was never given a chance to feature for the first team at either of the London-based clubs. He decided to move to one of the lower leagues and it proved to be a wise move. He was given the opportunity to play regularly for the club that’s currently fourth in the standings. And sure enough, Ollie was spotted by the scouts.Tuesday, 22.45: (2.45) Dartford (3.30) Ebbsfleet (2.70)The youngster went on a trial with the Cockerels and impressed the coaches at Spurs Academy. It was enough for the club to lodge a bid of around $134,000 to the club that has is a lot different than most clubs in England. They don’t really care about making money. As strange as it may seem, it’s a club where the fans are also the club’s owners. All fans are given a chance to own shares in the club for the price of around $60 per year. And nobody there expects to make money. All they care about is having a club that’s deeply rooted into the local community and who represents the people who come to watch football at their charming ground called The Dripping Pan.Why is the Dripping Pan ‘British Football’s Favourite Ground’?Press▶️https://t.co/czw9CFBnQM pic.twitter.com/OTXhKVVMLJ— Lewes FC Men (@LewesFCMen) January 25, 2022 On Saturday, the club from the Greater London area issued an official statement amid media reports regarding the Spurs’ target.”Lewes Football Club would like to confirm that whilst the club and a Premier League club agreed a deal in principle for the transfer of Ollie Tanner, Ollie and the Premier Club were not ultimately able to agree personal terms and he remains a Lewes FC player.”@OllieTanner108 Ollie Tanner is Baller Part 2 🔥Compiled and Edited by @B1njoSports 🎥 credit @YourInstReplay pic.twitter.com/NJ8ROpZF3j— B1NJO SPORTS (@B1njoSports) November 16, 2021 Ollie Tanner may still become a Premier League player someday, but it’s refreshing to read that some players choose to play for smaller clubs’ first teams rather than play for the reserve teams at bigger clubs. Good for him!As for Spurs… their January transfer window is a disaster. Or it’s very amusing – depending on your point of view.
