Former Tottenham scout gives insight to his time at the club

In an interview with The Athletic, former Tottenham Hotspur scout David Pleat spoke about all things Spurs, including some insight from his later years at the club.

Ironically, when Pleat first watched Christian Eriksen at Ajax, he described him as "erratic, maybe a one-in-three player", before he found more consistency and luckily went ahead with the signing. He was more impressed with fellow Ajax signing Jan Vertonghen, immediately citing him as a leader.

Pleat is best known for unearthing Dele Alli from MK Dons in League One, saying he still remembers watching him play in League One against Stevenage, Bristol City, and Coventry City, before persuading Spurs to pay the £5m to sign him.

Soon after finding Dele, Pleat was able to find another "brilliant 16-year-old" playing for Coventry City. No other than James Maddison. Pleat said:

"The boy Maddison was so good it was like he had eyes in the back of his head. I went into Tottenham the following morning and said 'There's a boy at Coventry we should sign tomorrow' It was an open goal. A tortoise couldn’t have gone slower. They didn’t chase it."

Former Tottenham scout gives insight to his time at the club

When Spurs finally did sign Maddison last year, Pleat joked with Harry Redknapp that it was "£40 million too late."

The 79-year-old said that he tried to pursue Jarrod Bowen from Hull City for a then £8m fee, as well as Ivan Toney for a similar price, and Ollie Watkins who was at Exeter City playing in a deeper role at the time. Pleat warns big clubs not to think that the only players good enough for them cost £40m from foreign leagues, and brings up that in the 1980s Spurs signed Tony Galvin from Goole Town, Graham Roberts from Weymouth, and Gary Mabbutt from Bristol Rovers.

The above players reiterate that Spurs have missed out on several gems from the EFL before, which is why it is refreshing to see the club make moves for the likes of Wilson Odobert and Archie Gray this summer.