The Portsmouth hero who advocated Tottenham loanee Harvey White's switch

Harvey White celebrates his goal at Oxford with Ronan Curtis. Picture: Jason Brown

And according to The Athletic, the on-loan Tottenham midfielder attracted plenty of interest when a temporary move away from the Premier League outfit was sanctioned.

White became the Blues first signing of the January transfer window, arriving to bolster Kenny Jackett's engine-room options in the second half of their League One promotion push.

The 19-year-old is held in high regard at Spurs. He’s trained with the first team since the summer and earned plenty of praise from manager Jose Mourinho.

After making his full debut in Tottenham’s FA Cup third-round victory at non-league Marine, White was granted an exit to garner crucial senior experience.

Taylor, who scored 29 goals in 203 appearances during his five-and-a-half years on the south coast, has closely worked with the England youth international during his career.

The cultured left-footer, who was one of Pompey's heroes during their Premier League Great Escape in the 2005-06 season, is current under-18s head coach at Spurs.

White was part of Taylor’s youth side last season when they finished fifth in the Premier League South under-18s table.

And it was reportedly the 39-year-old who pushed for White to join Pompey rather than any of the other potential suitors who were keen.

White had to be patient for opportunities after moving to Fratton Park, with his opening eight appearances coming from the substitutes’ bench.

However, he was handed his full Football League debut at Oxford last week, starting in a left-midfield role.

White achieved a lifelong dream as he bagged his maiden senior goal with a fine 48th-minute header to deliver Pompey a 1-0 victory.

The Kent-born ace also featured from the outset in the Blues’ 1-1 draw against Gillingham on Saturday.