The all-action midfielder returned to the first-team fold as a substitute in our opening group match in the Europa League at PAOK in September, 2011.
Dean enjoyed a successful loan spell at Yeovil in 2011-12, starting 10 times for the League One team, scoring once.
That followed from loans at Plymouth and Charlton in 2010-11 after making his Football League debut in a loan spell at Aldershot in 2009-10.
He played four times for the Shots in that loan in August, September 2009 before returning to the club and playing 17 times for our Under-18s, scoring three goals and starting both FA Youth Cup ties.
He was on the bench in the first team's FA Cup replay win at Leeds United in February, 2010.
At the end of the 2009-10 season, Dean represented England in the European Under-19 Championships in France, earning many plaudits for his displays as the Young Lions reached the semi-finals.
And in August, 2010, he extended his contract with the Club until 2013, joining League One side Plymouth on a month's loan the same day.
Dean joined our Academy full-time at the start of the 2008-09 season, and in December 2008 he signed his first professional contract with the Club.
Dean also earned a place on the First Team bench for our UEFA Cup group game with Spartak Moscow that month before making his senior debut in February 2009.
He started our Round of 32 first leg tie with Shakhtar Donetsk in Ukraine, impressing during his 89 minutes on the pitch. He then came off the bench to feature in the final moments of the second leg at White Hart Lane a week later.
Dean also had the honour of being named in the provisional 20-man squad for the 2009 Carling Cup Final against Manchester United at Wembley.
Although he made his first appearances for our Under-18s as an Under-16 player, his first season as a full-time scholar resulted in him earning the captain's armband for the second half of the campaign, in which he made 27 appearances and scored twice.
Born in Hampstead and brought up in Kilburn, London, he previously played for Queens Park Rangers.