Arsenal have pulled off a dramatic late move for Crystal Palace winger Eberechi Eze, and former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Jamie O'Hara was left fuming in a furious rant live on talkSPORT
Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Jamie O'Hara delivered a stunning on-air outburst on talkSPORT after Spurs missed out on Eberechi Eze to Arsenal. His explosive rant even forced the broadcaster to dramatically cut the live feed when the 38-year-old let slip an expletive.
Like countless Tottenham supporters, O'Hara is stunned that Spurs, who appeared poised to secure the Crystal Palace winger, have now seemingly been pipped by their north London rivals. Arsenal bided their time before swooping in at the final moment to agree a £68million deal – including £8m in add-ons – with Palace, while Eze has also agreed personal terms with the Gunners.
Speaking on talkSPORT to express his dismay, O'Hara wrapped up his passionate outburst by declaring he was "F*****g..." – though the remainder of his statement remains a mystery as producers swiftly pulled the plug on the transmission for several seconds.
The chaos erupted as co-presenter – and former Chelsea star – Jason Cundy suggested Spurs have delusions of grandeur and believe they're a more significant club than reality suggests. Cundy wound up O'Hara with a baby doll, complete with crying sound effects, prompting the ex-Wolves midfielder to explode.
"I'm disappointed in Tottenham, I'm disappointed. we should have had this deal done weeks ago, we should have had it over the line and got it done," O'Hara said.
"As soon as we started the season, we should have had Eze in the team, and do you know what, it serves us right. It serves Daniel Levy right, it serves Spurs right, it's the same old Tottenham, it happens every single season, we're penny-pinchers!
"It happened again, and we're going to miss out on a top-quality player who's proven in the Premier League. Just pay the money and get the player over the line! We got rid of [Heung-min] Son, [James] Maddison has done his ACL, we needed Eze, we needed him.
"It's an absolute joke that we're going to lose him to Arsenal of all teams, who are going to waltz in and pay and get it over the line in a couple of hours, it's a joke."
Cundy then questioned O'Hara about which club the Crystal Palace star would prefer if given the choice between Tottenham and Arsenal. O'Hara responded: "I get it, Arsenal are a better team than us, they're in a better position, I wouldn't say they're bigger.
"They're doing well and that's why Tottenham needed to get the deal done, so you can't get hijacked. This is what happens, the bigger clubs come in and get the players, you don't get the deal done, this is what's going to happen."
O'Hara then directed his anger squarely at Levy again, arguing the chairman had wasted opportunities in the transfer market following Son's departure to Los Angeles FC and Maddison's devastating injury blow.
He continued: "Levy is a penny-pincher. Maddison did his ACL a month ago, he could have got the deal done. Maddison is out for the season, he's done, Son's gone, he knew Son was going, he knew that a month ago.
"He knew those players were done and he still hasn't got it over the line, he still hasn't got it over the line knowing this was coming."
Then triggering the brief interruption, O'Hara added: "How have you not got this done? Honestly, it's a joke and I'm f*****g.."
Fortunately, the broadcaster managed to intercept O'Hara's blunder on the YouTube live-stream as well as on radio. The live-stream was quickly modified so audiences could only view a holding screen announcing that the pair would return shortly.
When broadcasting resumed, O'Hara was seen with his head buried in his hands whilst Cundy remarked: "Oh my word. He had to dump himself, he swore!" A sheepish-looking O'Hara then composed himself, before stating: "I don't think I've ever done that before."