Dele Alli broke through the Milton Keynes Dons youth system. Due to his impressive performances at the club, he was considered an exciting prospect. It was reported that numerous scouts from top clubs across Europe attended matches to watch him play, including representatives from Bayern Munich and Liverpool.
However, Alli signed for Tottenham Hotspur in the winter transfer window of 2015 for an initial fee of £5 million. The following season, Dele took the Premier League by storm and was named the PFA Young Player of the Year.
However, since then he was largely inconsistent for the North London outfit. Dele left Tottenham in January and joined Everton on a deal until 2024.
Many hoped the move would revive Alli’s career, working under the tutelage of one of the best to do it in the English game. Lampard was excited about his move as he revealed in an interview.
“It’s a fresh slate for Dele Alli but we also have to push him to extract what’s there. I just have to find the right environment for him. I’m very excited to have him and Donny,” Lampard said in his first press conference as Everton manager.
“Alli is a versatile player who can get involved in build-up play. It’s nice to manage someone who occupies similar areas of the field to myself.
“A player like Donny is someone who can link play. Slightly different to what we have. Dele also has his own versatile nature.”
With that being said, it has appeared that Alli has fallen out of favour in Merseyside already. Having made just six appearances and is yet to score in Blue.
In this situation, former striker for Liverpool and England, Stan Collymore has advised Alli to retire like Ash Barty if football is not important to him anymore.
In his mirror column, he wrote, “Ever since I was a kid I would get an England shirt with a name on the back for a big tournament. I had Rooney in 2006 in Germany, Gerrard in 2010. In 2018, I got Dele’s name, that’s how much I admired his talent. He had everything. Physique, technique, genuine natural ability to go from box to box. He could run with it, pass, time his runs.
Dele Alli: Asked get to the end of his contract, and move on with life
“But he’s become this guy, four years on, who is unrecognisable. The initial criticism of him was: Is he too nice? The best in the world tend to be really ruthless with a devil about them that Dele didn’t have. I thought OK, no matter, he can still get to the top. Only three years ago he started for Spurs in a Champions League final.
“Dele needs to answer some serious question, for himself, no one else. He has to ask: Do you want to play professional football, or are you not cut out for it? If not, don’t do that, think of conning clubs into giving you a year, based on past reputations, and drift down the ranks. Everton, to Norwich, to the Championship.
“If no, then get to the end of your contract, and move on with life. If he doesn’t want to be a pro footballer, get your head down. I don’t think his clothing, or hair, or what he drives make a big difference but they can allude to a person’s character. I wonder what he is trying to portray. That he wants to be a bit bohemian and has given up on the life of a footballer?
“It would be unfair to do that if he doesn’t have the appetite. He has to be honest. If he wants to drift, go backpacking around the world and spend the good few quid he’s earned. Maybe he needs to have an Ash Barty moment. So many tennis players and swimmers get to their mid-20s and think they’ve been doing sport for years. They ask: why put myself through it? It’s not important anymore.”
