The scout who told Liverpool to sign Dele Alli

When Dele Alli was showcasing his talent at MK Dons, there were a number of teams linked with signing the Englishman, Liverpool being one of them.

Football scout Mel Johnson has revealed that he had conversations with Liverpool suggesting they brought the player to Anfield, but Tottenham Hotspur ended up winning the race, signing the forward for £5 million back in 2015.

Speaking to Planet Football, Johnson remembered the moment he identified the player and notified Liverpool: “I went to watch MK Dons against Spurs in a pre-season friendly and he really stood out. He was only 16, but must have been about six-foot and was a real box-to-box player already. Dele had an agent who I knew and Gary Waddock, who I’d known for a long time, was MK Dons’ assistant manager – that’s where the networking comes in. I put Dele’s name forward to Liverpool, but someone else went to watch him and the rest is history.

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LONDON, ENGLAND – Sunday, October 22, 2017: Emre Can (L) Dele Alli (TH) during the FA Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool at Wembley Stadium. (Pic by Paul Marriott/Propaganda)

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“I’d have taken him all day long, but Liverpool’s hierarchy disagreed and he went to Spurs. Damien [Comolli] had left by then and there was a new regime which was computer and stats-led.”

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Source: anfieldhq.com