Tottenham's Dele Alli Eludes to Holding Admiration for Liverpool Following Reds' Previous Interest
Tottenham's Dele Alli has offered the greatest hint yet that Liverpool remain a club he is fond of despite overlooking the Merseyside outfit in favour of the north London club as a youngster.
The Reds narrowly missed out on signing the 21-year-old in 2014 - who had been rumoured to have favoured a move to Anfield - in part due to Steven Gerrard failing to meet the midfielder at MK Dons as promised because he was asleep.
ADRIAN DENNIS/GettyImages
The combination of Gerrard's absence and speculation that the club's American owners were only prepared to pay Alli £4,000-a-week ensured his services were taken elsewhere - a failed move which former Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has previously spoken of his regret over.
The England international has since go on to stake his claim as one of the league's most exciting players - controversy aside - and despite having kept quiet on the events leading up to his move to Spurs, Alli hinted at his admiration for Liverpool in an interview with Copa90.
When asked if he tries to emulate anyone, Alli said: "I can't really say that I style myself on anyone. I think Gerrard was a big role model for me when I was younger, but I think it's important that you don't try and be like someone else when you play.
"I'm still young and I'm still trying to find my own game and develop my own game instead of thinking what other people have done."
Liverpool's greatest impression on Alli, however, occurred in the stunning 2005 Champions League triumph over AC Milan as the 21-year-old labelled it as his earliest memory of the European competition.
"I think probably the earliest memory was the Liverpool one against AC Milan. It was a massive game and will always be remembered so that's probably one of the biggest," he added.
Laurence Griffiths/GettyImages
Alli has since gone on to earn 22 senior England caps and make over 100 appearances for Tottenham since he joined the club in 2015.
