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Kieran Trippier admits he was "baffled" by Spurs' decision to sell Moussa Dembele in 2019 and is adamant the departure cost the club a trophy.
Dembele joined Spurs from Fulham and originally played as an attacking midfielder. But when he dropped deeper was where he truly thrived, developing into one of the very best in world football under Mauricio Pochettino.
The Belgian's dribbling ability was unparalleled and Pochettino put him on par with greats he played with like Diego Maradona, Ronaldinho and Jay-Jay Okocha.
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Halfway through the 2018/19 season, Dembele made a surprise switch to Chinese Super League side Guangzhou R&F in a £11 million move.
Spurs went on to reach the Champions League but fell short to Liverpool in the final in Madrid.
And Trippier is adamant that Daniel Levy offloading Dembele mid-season was costly.
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"For me, the big one was selling Moussa Dembele that January," Trippier told Alan Shearer in a chat forThe Athletic.
"I think I can speak on behalf of the players who were there.
"In the dressing room, he was an unbelievable person and all the lads loved him, but on the pitch he was the kind of player who would make a couple of per cent difference. That's what wins you things.
"It baffled me that they would sell him. I know he was going to be a free (transfer) in the summer, but with the things we were challenging for, I would have kept him there and then let him go. He was the difference between winning a trophy or not."
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Dembele played 249 games for Spurs, scoring 10 times. Eric Dier, his teammate, named him as the best player he's ever played with - ahead of Harry Kane.
Trippier himself would leave directly after that Champions League final loss, embarking on a new chapter in La Liga with Atletico Madrid.
The England right-back was a key part of the club's title triumph under Diego Simeone but returned to England in January 2022 to join Newcastle United.
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He's since reminded everyone why he's one of the finest defenders in the country, helping Newcastle qualify for the Champions League.
Topics: Kieran Trippier, Tottenham Hotspur, Atletico Madrid, Mauricio Pochettino, Moussa Dembele
Josh Lawless