Sidney Sladen
Former Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has claimed that Dele Alli is easily better than Paul Pogba and that Manchester United should have signed him when he was at MK Dons.
The PFA young player of the year last season has risen to prominence at White Hart Lane and is being looked at as one of the most talented English lads of the lot. He moved to Tottenham for a mere £5 million. It now looks like a huge coup, given Alli’s potential and growth rate.
Harry Redknapp feels the same and says that Alli is better than Manchester United’s world-record signing and claims that United probably missed out on a £100 million midfielder in Dele Alli.
He cannot believe Manchester United missed out on the midfielder who helped the League One side beat them 4-0 in a shock League Cup upset at in August 2014.
Spurs face Gent in the Europa League and Redknapp was quoted by Daily Star,
“I think he’s fantastic. Can you tell me how all those people failed to spot him when he played for MK Dons every week? How did they end up waiting until it took Spurs to go in and take him? He played against Manchester United when they beat them that day. United should have signed him then and there. They’d have headed off from the game disappointed, but at least they’d have had a future star for the club with them on the team bus.
He also added,
“You wonder how they didn’t take a kid from MK Dons for £5m. How did they not see him? It’s incredible that no-one took him. £5m! What a signing, what a player. I think now he’s worth £100m. If Pogba’s £90m, he’s more. He’s 20 years of age! The kid’s got everything. He scores goals, makes goals, can head it, run, dribble, he’s got an edge to him too and he puts his foot in. I think he’s fantastic.”
BT Sport pundit Redknapp also says Spurs will be desperate to hang on to Alli, and believes the player can help Spurs become Premier League champions.
“Obviously Tottenham don’t want to sell him,” he said. “If they continue to progress, they’ve got a squad that can win the league in the next year or two. So I’m sure he’d want to be part of that.”
Alli has scored 23 goals for Tottenham in two seasons and has turned out to be a tremendous addition for the LilyWhites. Redknapp is right in saying United should have got hold of the youngster. Now that he is an important player at Spurs, it will take a huge amount of money to buy him now.
Maybe it is too late now for United to regret missing out on Alli. But what a signing he might have been!
