Former Tottenham defender turned pundit Alan Hutton says a recent Spurs revelation involving referee Mike Dean has now "opened up a can of worms".
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Spurs are thriving under new manager Ange Postecoglou this term, having won three out of their opening four Premier League matches whilst scoring 11 goals.
Tottenham sit just behind last season's unstoppable treble-winners Man City in the table; a very promising start to what will be a rather intriguing debut campaign under Postecoglou.
Lilywhites supporters perhaps couldn't have envisaged such a bright spell of form after losing star striker Harry Kane, who sealed a blockbuster transfer to Bayern Munich over the summer window.
Nevertheless, Postecoglou is proving his doubters very, very wrong so far. There were originally concerns over his appointment given a lack of experience in major European divisions, but the Tottenham boss' exciting, attack-minded style of play has both thrilled supporters and critics alike.
Former manager Antonio Conte's terrible last season at the club seems like the distant past, and Spurs chairman Daniel Levy will be eager to wash away all memory of his spell in charge following the Italian's infamous final press conference in March.
However, a recent revelation has come to light from during Conte's final campaign; courtesy of former top flight referee Dean.
Tottenham VAR decision
Speaking to Simon Jordan's Up Front Podcast, as relayed by The Guardian, Dean admitted that he got a call disastrously wrong in one of Tottenham's most fiery encounters of 2022/2023.
Indeed, the retired official frankly said that he missed a hair-pull during Spurs' hotly-contested 2-2 draw away to Chelsea; a match which saw both Conte and ex-Blues manager Thomas Tuchel square up to one another on the touchline.
“I missed the stupid hair pull at Chelsea versus Tottenham [Romero on Cucurella] which was pathetic from my point of view,” Dean said.
"It’s one of them where if I had my time again, what would I do? I’d send Anthony [Taylor] to the screen. I think I knew if I did send him to the screen … he’s cautioned both managers."
What's been said about Mike Dean?
Former Spurs and Aston Villa right-back Hutton, who regularly features for the BBC, has reacted to this interesting revelation concerning Tottenham.
He says that the admission has now "opened up a can of worms", going on to explain how it is set to "grumble on" in the background while adding more fire to the debate surrounding football's laws/VAR.
“First and foremost fair play to him for being honest but I think it opens up a can of worms,” he told Football Insider.
“How can we now sit here and think people have made the right decision? People are going to think that way about everything now moving forward.
“He probably should not have said anything. It has opened up a can of worms and it is probably going to grumble on for a long period of time, people questioning decisions down the line and ones that have just occurred."
Despite the presence of VAR, there is still plenty of debate to be had surrounding the beautiful game's conduct, with on-field controversy still proving a very regular issue.