Tottenham Hotspur have been the subject of a dig from a director of football who tried to negotiate with them over the winter transfer window.

Marc Overmars, a recruitment chief at Ajax and former Arsenal winger, has been speaking frankly about the Amsterdam outfit’s pursuit of Spurs forward Steven Bergwijn last month, saying that the rumour was “no secret”, while admitting that a transfer could yet be on the horizon for the Dutchman.

“It is no secret that we have been busy getting Steven Bergwijn to Ajax, for now and for the future,” Overmars told Ajax’s official website.

“However, you also have to remain realistic. Every club has had two tough years. We as management found it in this uncertain time to properly deploy the entire financial package.”

Some have criticised Tottenham’s transfer activity over the past few years with the likes of Dele Alli and Danny Rose leaving for a relative pittance as opposed to the high values that they were once given at the club’s peak. Overmars’ comments, while mainly about his own club, are a jab to the Lilywhites for not lowering their demands over the move for Bergwijn back to the Eredivisie.

Ultimately, the Dutch champions opted for unsettled Juventus star and fellow ex-PSV boy Mohamed Ihattaren, while Tottenham settled on keeping Bergwijn.

Spurs also added Juventus pair Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski on deadline day.