Gary Gillespie suggests that he wanted Liverpool to sign Mousa Dembele before his move to Tottenham Hotspur from Fulham.
Gary Gillespie has been quoted as saying by The Daily Star why Liverpool did not sign Mousa Dembele before his move from Fulham to Tottenham Hotspur.
Dembele joined Tottenham from fellow London club Fulham in the summer of 2012.
According to The Mirror, Spurs had to pay the Cottagers a transfer fee of £15 million in order to secure the services of the 29-year-old midfielder.
It took a while for the Belgium international to start showing what he is capable of at Spurs, and now the midfielder is one of the best players in the team.
Gillespie has revealed that he advised Liverpool to sign Dembele before his move to Tottenham.
The 56-year-old former Liverpool and Celtic defender has disclosed what one ex-Anfield manager told him about the weaknesses of the Belgian.
“I had a conversation with an ex-Liverpool manager, and talking about Dembele I said ‘why don’t you go and sign him?’ The Daily Star quotes Gillespie as saying.
“He said ‘his stats are poor, he doesn’t create enough goals, doesn’t score enough goals’, hence the reason probably why Tottenham have moved him back in the holding midfield role, where it’s not essential to score goals or create goals.
“I’ve watched him, and technically he’s probably one of the most gifted midfield players in the country at this moment in time, but as you rightly say he doesn’t score enough goals.”
| Team | Player | Passing Accuracy | Tackles Won | Interceptions Won | Ball Recovery | Touches | Shots on Target | Goal Assist | Goals | Appearances | Mins Played | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-2013 | Fulham | Mousa Dembélé | 96% | 8 | 2 | 10 | 167 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 180 |
| 2016-2017 | Tottenham | Mousa Dembélé | 93% | 13 | 4 | 30 | 353 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 369 |
| 2012-2013 | Tottenham | Mousa Dembélé | 91% | 68 | 36 | 151 | 1,814 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 30 | 2,209 |
| 2013-2014 | Tottenham | Mousa Dembélé | 91% | 58 | 18 | 143 | 1,489 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 28 | 1,819 |
| 2015-2016 | Tottenham | Mousa Dembélé | 90% | 84 | 56 | 223 | 1,879 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 29 | 2,273 |
| 2014-2015 | Tottenham | Mousa Dembélé | 89% | 20 | 22 | 82 | 1,042 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 26 | 1,138 |
| 2011-2012 | Fulham | Mousa Dembélé | 89% | 85 | 27 | 213 | 2,228 | 22 | 2 | 2 | 36 | 2,940 |
Liverpool do not seem to be missing Dembele at the moment, as the Reds are doing brilliantly under manager Jurgen Klopp this season.
The Merseyside outfit are currently at the top of the league table with 26 points from 11 matches, a point clear of second-placed Chelsea.
Meanwhile, Tottenham find themselves fifth in the standings with 21 points from 11 games.
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