Dele Alli (Milton Keynes, England, 1996) peaked in 2017. “When you compare him with the 21-year-old players in the world, I think there is no one better,” said Mauricio Pochettino. In November of that year, in the group stage of the Champions League, the English midfielder scored a brace that knocked out (3-1) European champion Real Madrid at Wembley. It was a torment for Casemiro, Modric, Kroos and company. “Honestly, I’m sad that we didn’t get a hat-trick, but the important thing is that we won,” said the English midfielder after his display.
Mou’s advice to Dele Alli before which he could only bow his head
So, Alli was one of the great sensations of the Premier. His 22 goals and 13 assists in 50 games in 2016-17 and the 14 goals and 17 ‘gifts’ in 50 games in 2017-18 made him a star and a regular for the English team. In 2018, it became the most valuable medium on the planet according to CIES (163.4 million euros). Transfermarkt gave 100 ‘kilos’ of value to a ‘box to box’ that after breaking it as a teenager at Milton Keynes Dons landed in North London in 2015. He was named Best Young Player in the Premier in 2015-16 and in 2016-17, scoring 18 goals! in the English League in this last course. “In the area he looks like a striker and outside a midfielder,” summed up a Pochettino who took all his game out of him. However, when he left Tottenham in November 2019, Alli faded into the background.
“I just want to be happy playing football,” the English midfielder confessed to sign for Everton. His landing at Goodison Park in this winter market, unthinkable five years ago when he shone in the Champions League and even became famous for Real Madrid, has become a ‘lifesaver’. Tottenham have let him go free and will receive 12 million when he plays 20 games. Their paths were destined to part. His departure from The ‘spur’ team after seven years was marked by the goodbye of Pochettino, the only coach Alli referred to in his farewell.
When you’ve reached the top, why do you have these little ups and downs? One day I think you’ll regret it if you don’t achieve what you can achieve. You should demand more of yourself
The arrival of José Mourinho was a turning point… negative. “Maybe inside you are telling me to go to hell, but I have to tell you exactly what I see. There is a big difference between a player who has consistency and a player who has moments. When you’ve reached the top, why do you have these little ups and downs? One day I think you’ll regret it if you don’t achieve what you can achieve. You should demand more of yourself”, the Portuguese told him in the documentary ‘All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur‘ on Amazon Prime. Mou censored his way of working and hardly gave him options. His number of games (38), goals (9 ) and assists (6) dropped in the first season with ‘The Special One’, in which he ceased to be a key player, spending many games on the bench and in the stands.
Neither with Mourinho, nor with Nuno nor with Conte
A slump that became evident last season, in which he barely played 617 minutes in the Premier spread over 15 games… without scoring a single goal! despite the interim Ryan Mason giving him ‘more ball’ at the end of the course. This campaign, he began as a starter with Nuno… but ended up fading. And the arrival of Antonio Conte ended up sending an Alli out of Tottenham who in 2019 was runner-up in the Champions League but that in this campaign he has barely played 10 Premier games. Now, he wants to reinvent himself at Goodison Park and return to an England he hasn’t played with since 2019.
Alli is a special player. He’s better than me when I was 20
The comic fall of Dele Alli that made Reguilón and Bale laugh out loud: they even asked for a yellow card!
“Alli is a special player. He is better than me when I was 20 years old. He has the ability to run, score great goals… He is ahead of the game,” said Frank Lampard in 2017, who will now have him under his command. “Working with him and the great players that Everton have is a great opportunity for me. We can do great things together.“, pointed out the new ‘toffee’. It’s time to get up.
