Harlee Dean goes viral on social media with his response to a question in his first sit-down interview on signing for Morecambe.
A video has since surfaced with the interviewer assuming Dean’s phone “was ringing off the hook” with offers given his career mostly in the top two EFL tiers, asking what made Morecambe the right choice.
The clip has gone on to get over a million views, with the tweet posted by @gm888__ reading: “HOW has this been left in the clip 🤣🤣🤣 We are a proper office comedy sketch. Who comes up with these questions 🤣🤣🤣”
He also made his debut and played the full 90 minutes in his side’s 1-0 defeat at Halifax on Wednesday night (21 January).
HOW has this been left in the clip 🤣🤣🤣
‘Your phone must have been ringing off the hook, why is morecambes and the gaffers xfactor so appealing’
‘Didn’t really have owt else’
We are a proper office comedy sketch
Who comes up with these questions 🤣🤣🤣 https://t.co/5zsZekjSc3 pic.twitter.com/coqhqr66fD
— GM (@gm888__) January 20, 2026
The interviewer says: “You’ve spent the vast majority of your career in the top two tiers of the EFL. I’m sure your form was ringing off the hook with plenty of offers. So what was the X Factor that the gaffer in the club presented that made you think Morecambe was the right place for this next chapter?”
To which Harlee responds: “Being honest, it weren’t ringing off the, it weren’t ringing off the, although I didn’t have that many offers.
“I had a few, to make a couple of quick decisions late last night. Obviously I know Tommo from playing against him quite a lot and he’d been speaking to me for about a week or so.
“Met the manager and the owner last night and yeah, just speaking to them, it just seemed like a good fit for where I am in my stage of my career and where the club is at the moment.
“And I thought that could really help sort of get him out of this.”
CLUB STATEMENT:
Morecambe Football Club is delighted to announce the signing of experienced central defender Harlee Dean.
The 34-year-old arrives at the Mazuma Mobile Stadium boasting a wealth of experience, having racked up over 500 career appearances, the vast majority of which came at Championship and League One level.
Known for his leadership qualities and aerial dominance, Dean began his professional journey at Dagenham & Redbridge before making a name for himself at Brentford, where he helped the Bees secure promotion to the Championship.
He subsequently spent five years at Birmingham City, where he captained the side and became a mainstay in their defence, making nearly 200 appearances for the Blues.
Dean has also enjoyed spells at Sheffield Wednesday, Reading, and Brentford.
Harlee will wear the number 5 shirt and will be available for selection for tomorrow’s fixture against FC Halifax Town.
DEAN’S INTERVIEW:
Interviewer: Harlee, first of all, welcome to Morecambe. It’s fair to say your signing has created a huge buzz around the place today. How have your first few hours been at the club?
Harlee: Yeah, good. Been up in a real whirlwind. Obviously happened, met the owners and stuff late last night. Drove up here today and chucked straight into training and good to be here.
Interviewer: And speaking off camera, we mentioned about your first ever call-up to a senior match day squad was actually for Dagenham and Redbridge against Morecambe back in 2009. Returning now with the hundreds of league games under your belt. How does it feel to see your career come full circle this way?
Harlee: Yeah, blink and it’s gone someone once told me and it definitely feels like that now, because 2009 was a long time ago. I’d love to go back and do it all again with what I know now but yeah, it’s really nice. That’s a nice little touch to be honest. I never realised that until you said it so it does make it nice.
Interviewer: What was the selling point that convinced you that the project here at Morecambe was the right place for you at this stage of your career?
Harlee: It was just more the situation and what the manager said in terms of how I can help, be really good to stay safe this year. That’s what they’re all aiming for and I’ve obviously been in those situations for quite a few years with different teams. I’m a lot more older and experienced now and a real young squad so I feel like I can really help the younger ones around the place day to day and hopefully on the pitch.
Interviewer: What sort of standards are you going to be demanding from the squad the moment you step out onto the pitch?
Harlee: I think firstly I’d demand it from myself. Obviously I haven’t played football in a little while now so I’m going to just try my hardest and hopefully people follow suit.
Interviewer: What can the Morecambe fans expect to from you when you step out onto that pitch for the first time?
Harlee: Just a no-nonsense old school defender to be honest. Yeah, head’s my best foot. So I’ve been told a lot of times throughout my career but organiser, a leader, yeah I mean it’s hard to talk about yourself in that terms, you just have to wait and see really.
As mentioned, Harlee Dean goes viral with his response to a question in his first interview on signing for Morecambe, here’s how fans reacted…
@JSWC1995: The questions sound so cliche and it doesn’t flow naturally. It’s like they’re reading off a cue card.
@JRBulman: There’s honesty & then there’s just this!! It is a bit bewildering when media teams ask questions like this, like you’ve bagged a £20 million striker from under the noses of AC Milan!! On the face of it though, if he’s fit & hungry enough, it looks like a sensible signing.
@R_Daly13: Good to see all the hard work I did in building a professional media outlet at the club is still holding strong…
@Bee4life77: The funniest thing is, I doubt he had any idea who the manager was until he got there! It’s not like he is any sort of name in the game, although that’s changing for the wrong reasons. Will be back coaching youth football soon. Aside from age, decent signing at NLP level.
@Boropod: class from Dean that
@robbiek44: He is a shithouse at the best of times. Dread to think what he will be like with all the travelling to and from Morecambe.
@BrummieTom: incredible question and a classic Harlee Dean answer #BCFC
@AdyHutchinson: Ridiculous question anyway. At one stage this evening we were rock bottom of the National League. Managed by the most incompetent person to ever call themselves a football manager & a CEO with zero experience of the game. Where on earth is the ‘X Factor’ in that equation?
@RobSmith1992: “What was the Xfactor” fucking hell 😂
@MG45664508: Hope it goes well for him. That interview he did completely made me do a 180 on how I regard him 😂 top lad ol Harlee
@SUFCYouthWatch: Kinda respect his answer tbf. Hate it when players have to pretend in these new signing videos that they’ve always wanted to play for X club. When in reality they just sign for whoever is offering the most money or is local.
@MFC_jordan: we actually are fucking hilarious at this point it’s brilliant, the football is wank but oh my god i’ve never laughed as much as i have the last few months 🤣
@SBJJC97: Morecambe FC ladies and gentlemen. The gift that keeps on giving
@mickeymfc: We are a laughing stock.
@IIleemingHD:
He drinks the Vodka, he drinks the Jager, he didn’t get any offersssss
1,2,3,4
@DBuckleJourno: This is a crime against journalism this
Past the point of getting annoyed about it, it really is hilarious now
— GM (@gm888__) January 20, 2026
100%.
— GM (@gm888__) January 20, 2026
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