Former Chelsea scout Chris Robinson has now given an explanation as to why he didn’t consider bringing Dele Alli in when he was coming through the ranks.
He told Rising Ballers that he believes the club already had two players in his position who were of the level already of the then MK Dons star.
Alli emerged at the top of the game as a young attacking midfielder at Tottenham a few years ago, with it looking like the sky was the limit for him for both club and country.
Chelsea fans will have been aware more than most opposing sides of his abilities, with him scoring a heap of goals against the Blues.
He scored twice at Stamford Bridge back in 2018 to help Spurs to their first win there in 28 years, bringing an end to an impressive run that supporters treasured.
Former Chelsea scout Robinson has now claimed that he had seen Alli from an early age, however had more confidence in two particular players already there.
Former Chelsea scout thought they had better prospects than Alli
He said: “Dele Alli, who I saw playing first team football for MK Dons at 17, and I didn’t think he was better than what we had at Chelsea in Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Lewis Baker.
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“Was I right? Yes I was at the time I believe, and lots of other clubs and scouts as well as Chelsea came to the same conclusion. Interestingly, Dele Alli is not playing top level necessarily now.”
The two Chelsea players have gone on to have slightly different careers in the game. Loftus-Cheek won plenty at Stamford Bridge before moving to AC Milan, where he is now starring in midfield.
Baker on the other hand never made an appearance at Stamford Bridge, and instead is playing his best football in the Championship, where he is currently with Stoke City.
It is fair to say that Loftus-Cheek has so far gone on to reach the highest level in 2024, with him competing in Europe on a regular basis.
