Birmingham City boss on Wilson Palacios ... the one who got away

Aug 28 2009 by Andy Walker, Birmingham Mail

ALEX McLeish has admitted he would defy anyone to have predicted that Wilson Palacios would go on to become a £14 million Premier League star when he first took charge of Blues.

Blues’ trip to White Hart Lane tomorrow will see them face the Honduran midfielder, a player the club let slip through their grasp in January 2008.

Join Colin and Andy Walker for live match coverage and banter from White Hart Lane at 2.30pm - www.birminghammail.net/live

Palacios’ six-month loan spell at St Andrew’s was overshadowed by traumatic personal problems in his homeland, after his younger brother Edwin was kidnapped and murdered.

In fairness to McLeish, the incident didn’t allow him enough time to assess Palacios and, rather than dent his budget, the £700,000 option on his loan was not taken so that the Blues boss could pursue a more experienced campaigner.

However, the rapid rise of Palacios’ stock has continued to remind McLeish that he should have taken a gamble.

Having been linked to a host of European giants, the 25-year-old eventually secured a £14 million move to Spurs from Wigan Athletic last January.