Mason keen to justify record fee

Ryan Mason insists he feels only pride – not pressure – after inking a deal to become newly-promoted Hull City’s record signing.

Mason had been on the books at Tottenham Hotspur since the age of eight but the 25-year-old admits it was time for a new challenge away from White Hart Lane.

Former Spurs team-mate Michael Dawson played a big role in persuading the midfielder to move north, where he will join forces with other former Spurs midfielders Jake Livermore and Tom Huddlestone.

Mason’s undisclosed transfer fee is believed to be £13 million, eclipsing the fee paid for Abel Hernandez in 2014.

“I now want to put in the kind of performances that justify that tag and repay that money,” said Mason.

(Julian Finney/Getty Images)

“It felt like the right time for me to move on after many good years at Tottenham.

“Once I found out that Hull were interested, my instinct told me it was the right thing to do.

“We’ve got a massive challenge ahead of us this season. The boys have started off really well and it’s all about continuing with that.

“I had a couple of chats on the phone with ‘Daws’ and he told me all about how tightly-knit the group is.

“It’s great that everything got finalised so quickly and I can’t wait to meet the rest of the lads and get started now.”