The old adage goes that you don’t notice the best referees. Try telling that to Mike Dean.
The Premier League’s least inconspicuous official is back in the spotlight once again after Slaven Bilic accused him of ruining West Ham’s match with Manchester United by incorrectly sending off Sofiane Feghouli. The score was 0-0 at the time. United went on to win 2-0 and Bilic accused Dean of ‘killing’ his team.
Dean’s harshest critics would argue that being in the spotlight is just how he likes it. But even those who take a more relaxed view of the 48-year-old official would find it hard to disagree that he is the Premier League’s most controversial referee.