Comolli: I regret signing Prince Boateng

Former Tottenham director of football Damien Comolli has revealed regrets over the signing of Kevin-Prince Boateng during his time with the London-based outfit.

The 28-year-old midfielder joined Tottenham in 2007 following a string of inspiring performances at Hertha Berlin in the Bundesliga.

“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.

“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.”

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.

“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.”

Following half a season in the Bundesliga with Dortmund, Boateng joined Portsmouth on a permanent transfer in the summer of 2009 before heading for AC Milan via Genoa after an impressive outing in the 2010 World Cup with Ghana.

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.