Tottenham Hotspur seem to have David Pleat to thank for bringing Dele Alli to their attention before he fully emerged onto the scene.
Former Tottenham Hotspur manager David Pleat
Former Tottenham boss David Pleat has told 5 live Sport what he saw in Dele Alli that left him feeling compelled to try and convince Daniel Levy to bring him to White Hart Lane.
Alli emerged onto the scene at MK Dons, becoming a first-team regular for the League One side during the 2013/14 campaign.
It was a League Cup tie with Manchester United when the Dons stunned the Premier League giants 4-0 in August 2015 that seemed to put him on most clubs’ radar, but Pleat has suggested that he had already done a lot of research on the midfielder.
“He was very athletic, and he can run from box to box comfortably. He’s got a nice stride, [he’s] unselfish, decent in the air,” he told 5 live Sport.
Dele Alli
“He was more of a holding midfield player, although he got quite forward, but I saw him away from home in a couple of games particularly, I can remember once at Stevenage and once at Bristol City, and his attitude amongst more senior players was more like an old head on young shoulders.”
Had Tottenham not been overly aware of Alli before that game with United, it may have been much harder to sign him the following January as he really put himself in the shop window with such a brilliant performance.
And Spurs fans will surely be eternally grateful to Pleat for making sure that Levy was aware about just how talented Alli was.
Within just a few months of linking up with his new club for the first time – he initially returned to MK Dons on loan following the completion of his transfer – Alli was a first-team regular in Mauricio Pochettino’s side, and has since taken little time to become one of the Premier League’s best.
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