From manager and caretaker manager to consultant scout, David Pleat has had a monumental influence on Tottenham Hotspur over the years.
Pleat guided the club to an FA Cup final in 1987 — losing 3-2 to Coventry City — and returned for three more spells in the dugout during the 1990s and early 2000s.
However, it was his role behind the scenes that has arguably influenced the club the most, with the 79-year-old playing a key role in Spurs signing a host of players that would go on to become legends and stalwarts.
Dele Alli, Ben Davies, Christian Eriksen and Jan Vertonghen are among the modern names Pleat helped identify ahead of his departure at the end of last season.
But Pleat’s wizardry in the transfer market goes back way further than that.
David Pleat names his best Tottenham Hotspur signings
The former winger was asked on the View from the Lane podcast which signings he was most proud of during his time with Spurs.
Among them, he named Republic of Ireland striker Robbie Keane, who was signed for just £7m from Leeds United (per Sky Sports) in 2002.
Keane would go on to notch 122 goals and 35 assists in 306 games for the club across three different spells and played a key role in helping Spurs win the 2007/08 League Cup — their last major trophy to date.
Pleat named one of Keane’s prolific strike partners as another of his finest recruitment achievements.
“I was very happy to bring in Jermain Defoe, and I was very happy to bring in Mr Keane from Leeds United,” he said (via Spurs Web).
Pleat added: “The last one before I left and came back again was the goalkeeper, Robinson, he went on to play for England. In more recent times, Dele Alli, I watched Son, I watched Eriksen twice in Holland.”