Dele Alli has revealed that he met up with Mauricio Pochettino following his Tottenham exit last week.
The Argentine paid the price for a poor 2019 for the Lilywhites as he and his coaching staff were relieved of their duties on Tuesday evening, with Jose Mourinho replacing him in the hotseat the following morning.
Amid a lot of talk about the midfielders poor form over the past 18 months following his brilliant displays in his first couple of years in north London, Alli was in the headlines for all the right reasons on Saturday as the team won 3-2 at West Ham.
Teeing Son Heung-min up for the opener as he found him in the area, he then played a major role in Lucas Moura's strike with an outrageous flick to set the South Korea free down the flank before he found his teammate in the box.
Speaking ahead of Tuesday's Champions League clash against Olympiacos, the 23-year-old revealed what happened once he had found out about the 47-year-old's exit after five-and-a-half years at the helm.
"I think it’s so clear what Mauricio meant to the players. He helped me grow a lot. I came here as an 18-year-old and had my ups and downs here," Alli told reporters at Hotspur Way.
"When I found out I was upset and I wanted to speak to him. I went to see him. I’ve seen him more than my family over the past five years.
"After I heard the news I couldn’t wait to see him. I was very upset. It wasn’t so much a conversation about football more two friends having a chat.
"I would be lying if you didn’t blame myself when it first happened rather than looking at the bigger picture.
"We had a great journey. You can’t help but feel like you’re to blame because you’re out there but I realised I gave 110% always."
