Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino believes that 20-year-old midfielder Dele Alli is now worth £50m.
That is 10 times the initial £5m fee Spurs paid for Dele when he signed from MK Dons just under two years ago, according to BBC Sport.
Pochettino was quoted by Sky Sports as saying: “Yes [he is a £50m player], why not? Today Dele Alli is showing a quality, a talent that it’s difficult to find in Europe at 20 years old,” Pochettino said.
“There’s no doubt he is and will be one of the best players in England in the next 10, 12 years. And England represents Europe, and maybe the world too.
“The Premier League is the toughest and best competition in the world, and if you are one of the best in England you are one of the best in Europe.
Dele became a Tottenham player in February 2015, but immediately returned to Milton Keynes on loan, winning promotion to the Championship.
While his former Dons teammates struggled following their step-up to the second tier of English football – eventually being relegated back to League One – Dele took the Premier League by storm.
To date, Dele has scored 16 goals and provided 10 assists in 50 Premier League appearances.
He is under contract until June 2022 and that lengthy deal no doubt contributes to Pochettino’s high – but probably fair – valuation.
Dele is arguably a hotter talent than 22-year-old English defender John Stones, who moved from Everton to Manchester City for a whopping £47.5m last summer, per the Daily Mail.