NO ONE likes a bargain more than me and I’d like to think I spotted my fair share over the years.
But if I had to name the best of the lot, I’d struggle to beat the young right-back I signed from Sheffield United in my days as Tottenham boss.
Actually it was two of them and, at £9million for the pair, as good a bit of business as I ever did — because for me, one of them is now the best in the world. He has been for years.
And this afternoon he will — barring a miracle — lift the Premier League title as captain of the Manchester City team which makes history by winning it for the fourth season in a row.
It’s amazing to look back now and think that some people couldn’t understand why I had signed Kyle Walker AND Kyle Naughton in July 2009.
Naughton, 20 at the time, was easier to get their head round because he was a first-team regular, but the other Kyle had only played a handful of games.
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I remember ringing Sam Ellis who’d worked at Sheffield United, and he had no doubt I should get them.
The only thing I didn’t know was who’d be the better of the two.
Naughton was so smooth on the ball, while Walker — just 19 years old at the time — was more dynamic and had speed to burn.
They both went out on loan and it did Walker the world of good.
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He started the 2011-12 campaign as my first-choice right-back and ended it as PFA Young Player of the Year and in the PFA Team of the Year.
Spurs got value for money when they sold him for £50m — and same goes for City.
There are so many stars at the Etihad that Walker is rarely the headline act and it will be the same again today if they win the title.
But don’t ever doubt how important Kyle has been yet again this season.
And that pace? He’s so fast, it’s scary. There aren’t many who leave Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr for dead like he did.
I thought you were supposed to slow down as you got older but with him it’s the opposite.
Full-back, centre-half in a back three… you can stick him anywhere.
And when it comes to leaders, he’s a top man for that too because City have been pushed all the way this time.
The fact Arsenal still have a chance on the final day tells me boss Mikel Arteta couldn’t have done much more — but City just don’t slip up at this stage.
There’s no doubt this is one of the great Premier League teams — although I’m not convinced they’re the best ever.
Sir Alex Ferguson had some fantastic sides at Manchester United and they’d have something to say about that!
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Man for man, would City beat Roy Keane, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and David Beckham? Do they have a better centre-back pairing than Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic?
It’s something I’ve been asked loads of times and my answer’s not changed… but it would certainly be one hell of a game!
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
