Mauricio Pochettino has claimed that Sir Alex Ferguson once considered splashing out £100 million to sign Dele Alli.
Speaking to The Athletic, Pochettino spoke on the midfielder’s recent interview and opened up on a conversation he had with the Manchester United manager about Dele.
It has been six weeks since the Everton man sat down for an interview with Gary Neville to discuss his difficult past, his addiction to sleeping pills and also his relationship with Pochettino.
It was the Argentine that brought Dele to Tottenham Hotspur from MK Dons in February 2015. The youngster joined on a five-and-a-half-year deal for only £5 million, after Dele had netted 16 goals and provided eight assists in League One.
The England international went from strength to strength under Poch, becoming a key figure in Spurs’ title charge and journey to the Champions League final in the 2018-19 season.
Pochettino says Fergie was a big fan of Dele Alli
While at the top of his game in North London, Dele caught the eye of managers across the world. Poch admits that Sir Alex Ferguson was eager to bring him to Manchester United for £100 million – years after he had retired as the Red Devils boss.
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“When he arrived (at Spurs) from Milton Keynes, he was a kid,” Pochettino told The Athletic.
“We built a relationship and then step by step you could see the evolution of how he got to be his best, to be one of the best players in the Premier League.
“I always remember Sir Alex Ferguson saying to me ‘I will sign him for £100 million’ and that was when £100million was £100million, like £200million or £300million now.
“The interview was tough because it’s not too many years ago that he was at the top.”
It wasn’t until Poch was sacked by Spurs in 2019 that Dele struggled to live up to expectations in the Premier League. The 27-year-old hasn’t featured for Everton in over a year after suffering an injury whilst on loan with Besiktas last season.