Ex-Tottenham director of football Damien Comolli says his biggest regret is signing controversial Ghana star Kevin-Prince Boateng during his time at the English side hinting that the midfielder's off-the-field lifestyle greatly affected the chance of him reaching his full potential.
The 28-year-old midfielder joined Tottenham in 2007 following a string of inspiring performances at Hertha Berlin in the Bundesliga.
But the midfielder failed to replicate his talent in his first attempt at English football after his fast lifestyle which included the high life of nightclubs and love for expensive cars conspired against him reaching his potential.
Boateng made 13 league appearances for the Lilywhites before a loan transfer to Borussia Dortmund in January 2009, having struggled to adapt to life in England.
Following half a season in the Bundesliga with Dortmund, Boateng joined Portsmouth on a permanent transfer in the summer of 2009.
Comolli, who signed the Ghana international while he was at Hertha Berlin, says they should have done more to investigate his background before signing him from the German club.
“There is one player I regret signing because his acquisition didn’t work out and I think that was probably our [Tottenham] fault - Kevin-Prince Boateng,” Comolli said on Sky Sports.
“He came in when he was only 19. I think he had incredible talent and incredible potential as he showed later in his career.
“When he came, I think he was not ready to move to the Premier League [or] was not ready to move to a different country.
“We just looked at the talent. We forgot to look at the individual off the pitch, and that was probably our failure more than his.”
Boateng went on to achieve success with Portsmouth before heading for AC Milan via Genoa after an impressive outing in the 2010 World Cup with Ghana.
“He played in the quarter-finals of the 2010 World Cup, won the league [Serie A] with AC Milan, played several games in the Champions League, played for Schalke 04 and he became a very good player,” Comolli said.
He is currently training with Serie A side AC Milan following an indefinite suspension by parent club Schalke 04 in May.
The Berlin-born is serving an indefinite suspension from Ghana national team for “verbal insults” targeted at coach Kwesi Appiah during the 2014 World Cup.
Source: Goal