Rangers ignored 'frightening' Dele Alli transfer advice as ex-Tottenham star looks to rebuild career in Serie A with Como

Roberts savoured league and cup glory during his time at Ibrox, having headed to Scotland from Tottenham in 1986. He continues to keep a close eye on how both of those clubs are getting on, with efforts being made to aid their respective causes.

After seeing Dele sparkle in north London, Roberts urged those in Glasgow to consider an approach for the ex-England international as his career began to come off the rails. Forgettable stints with Everton and Besiktas failed to rekindle a lost spark.

Dele is now working with ex-Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas at Serie A side Como, as he seeks to rebuild his career at 28 years of age, but a different career path could have been taken.

Roberts told Express Sport: "I liked him when he joined [Tottenham], I thought he was brilliant when he played for us, [Tottenham]. I remember him scoring two goals against Chelsea, two brilliant goals when we won 3-1.

“I have always liked him, I don’t know what went wrong. I tried to recommend him to Rangers a few years ago and said: ‘If you get hold of him and you help him, there is a player there’. There is a player there but he needs someone to put an arm around him to really get him back to what he was as a kid. He is barely at his peak yet, it’s frightening.”

Dele endured a nightmare start to his spell with Como, as he received a red card on debut, but is now back in contention and hoping for more regular game time. He is also embracing a new life in Italy alongside model girlfriend Cindy Kimberly.