“When Ali came to Tottenham, he was a really young child,” he told The Athletic, a global sports media. “We formed a relationship and we could see how Ali became the best star in the EPL in stages,” he recalled the past.
Pochettino shared an anecdote with Ferguson. He said: “I remember Sir Ferguson telling me ‘I’m going to sign Ali for £100m’. It is 기준100 million as of then. “Now it will be 200 million pounds (about 333.8 billion won) or 300 million pounds (about 5007 billion won).”
Ali was once called ‘England’s greatest talent’. After making his EPL debut for Tottenham in the 2015/16 season, he appeared like a comet with 10 goals and 9 assists in 33 league games from the first season. In the 2016/17 season, he took a step forward with 18 goals and 9 assists in 37 games. He had a great physical condition of 188cm, but he had excellent ball control and flexibility.
Ali led Tottenham’s golden age by establishing a “DESK line” with Harry Kane, Son Heung-min, and Christian Eriksen. Along with Ali, Tottenham finished second in the league in the 2016/17 season. In the 2018/19 season, he reached the UEFA Champions League final for the first time in the club’s history.