Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Mousa Dembele is going to be sorely missed by the club’s fans.
Some rivals supporters, looking at basic statistics like goals and assists, have felt he was overrated.
But when Dembele’s team-mates, rivals, and pundits have spoken about him, it’s easy to see he’s loved by everyone for his unique skills on a football pitch.
Mauricio Pochettino described him as a ‘genius’ and compared him to Diego Maradona in one famous quote.
So now, as Dembele heads to Chinese Super League side Guangzhou R&F for £11million, talkSPORT.com take a look at what the great and the good have said about him across his time in the Premier League.
Eric Dier
“Have you not seen him play? Mousa’s just special, full stop.
“He’s incredible because he’s massive. One of his legs is two of mine. His balance is incredible. His movement physically is so superior and then to ally that with the technical ability he has is incredible.
“I love Mousa, the most relaxed man in football. He’s become a very good friend.”
Victor Wanyama
“He glides past players easily in training and in games. You know what he’s going to do, but you can’t get the ball off him.”
Jan Vertonghen
“I don’t think people know how good Mousa is. You can ask every single player in the team and I don’t think you can describe how good Mousa is. You can only know if you play with him or against him, see him train for a couple of weeks, then you’ll find out.
“He’s a special player and I can’t think of anyone else who is a bit like him. For me, he’s up there with the best two or three midfielders in the league. He’s a very humble guy, that’s one of his main characteristics. He’s a very special player and I certainly prefer to play with him than against him.”
Dele Alli
“He’s very good. His feet are unbelievable. He’s so big as well but shifts his body so easily, I don’t know how he does it.”
Jan Vertonghen – again
“Playing against Mousa is something very hard. And to be fair he used to be a striker, and I was a defender, so I played a couple games against him. It is very hard to stop him, but I’m not going to tell the trick. I don’t even have the key. That’s one of Mousa’s main qualities, is that he’s that strong on the ball. I can’t help you with this question.”
Danny Rose
Kevin De Bruyne
