New Wolves signing Jamie O’Hara: It is painful to leave Tottenham but I need first-team football

EPL : Jamie O’Hara, Bolton Wanderers v Wolverhampton Wanderers

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Wolves’ new signing Jamie O’Hara has admitted he felt he had to leave his boyhood club Tottenham because he wasn’t getting first-team football.

O’Hara moved to Mick McCarthy’s side on a five-year-deal after the club activated a clause in last season’s loan deal that allowed them to buy him for £5 million.

O’Hara, 24, left White Hart Lane for Molineux because he felt wasn’t given the opportunity to prove his worth under Harry Redknapp.

“It’s painful to leave because I always wanted to play for Tottenham,” O’Hara said of his old club.

“I played over 50 games for them and I was part of the club for a long period of time.

“I joined them when I was 17 and I was a Spurs fan so I always wanted to play for the club, but I never really felt like I had the opportunity.

“Juande Ramos played me in a lot of games but then I kind of fell out of favour when Harry Redknapp came in.

“I had a really good pre-season when Redknapp took over but I still got left out and I think from that point on, I realised it was time to move on.

“It just wasn’t happening for me. Sometimes your face fits and I just need to play regular football.

“It’s hard to leave them because I’ve always supported them and I still love the club. It’s a fantastic club. But now I’m a Wolves fan and a Wolves player.”

In O’Hara’s loan spell at Wolves he played 14 times and scored three goals, one of which won him the club’s Goal of the Year award.

The former England Under-21 midfielder had been loaned out from Tottenham to other clubs prior to his Wolves switch, including an impressive spell at Portsmouth.