Tim Sherwood has claimed Dele Alli would never have made it at Tottenham Hotspur had Jose Mourinho been in charge when he first signed.
The former MK Dons midfielder has played a starring role in Mourinho’s first two games in charge, and was on the scoresheet again last night as Spurs qualified for the knockout stages of the Champions League with a 4-2 win over Olympiakos.
Having originally impressed after making the step up from League One in 2015, Alli’s form has been questioned in recent times.
But, having scored in both of his new manager’s opening games since taking over from Mauricio Pochettino, the 23-year-old earned special praise from Mourinho following last night’s victory.
And, speaking on beIN Sports, former Spurs midfielder and manager Sherwood believes Mourinho should follow the example set by Alli for his future transfer targets.
“Let’s face it, you don’t have to spend a king’s ransom,” Sherwood said.
“It’s a good one for Daniel Levy to point out to Jose Mourinho and say ‘see that kid there? The one you’re lauding up at the moment, the one who’s scored two goals in two games? He cost £5million from League One.’
“If Jose Mourinho was the manager at the time he came to Tottenham, he wouldn’t be there, let’s face it.
“He’s not buying a player from League One who isn’t rehearsed at the top level, it’s not Jose’s type of signing.
“That is an indication that they are out there, and you don’t have to spend hundreds of millions of pounds all the time.
“You just need a good recruitment team to find the right players for the right manager.”
