FourFourTwo have named Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli as the world’s best wonder kid. Alli has been one of the greatest stories in English football over the last decade. After playing with MK Dons in the lower leagues, Alli joined Spurs with the hope of rising into a great midfielder. Spurs were confident in their signing as he had all the talent to be a great player in the Premier League. However, even the club are left surprised with how quick Alli has made the progression from a relative unknown into an England international.
It would not be surprising to see the new England manager build his team around Alli. After coming through the ranks at MK Dons, the youngster spent four years at Stadium MK before joining Spurs for just £5 million. Just like Gareth Bale, Spurs may have secured one of the biggest bargains if Alli continues with his progression. The youngster was initially loaned back to me MK Dons, but he has been a first-team regular ever since returning back to White Hart Lane.
Last season, Alli was a breath of fresh air. One of the strongest qualities of the 20-year-old is his ability to change the game out of nothing. There are periods in a game when Alli just does not seem to get involved in the thick of an action. Yet, he can come up with a mesmerising goal out of nothing or set up his teammates with an eye of the needle pass. It is these qualities that have enabled Spurs to rise up as a real force in the Premier League without having spent the same kind of money as a Manchester City or Chelsea.
Alli is also quite versatile and has already played in a number of positions with the North London outfit. However, almost every manager has admitted that the player’s best position is when playing as in number 10. Pochettino has used him in a number of spots already this season. For club and country, he has played as an attacking midfielder, central midfielder, and as a defensive midfielder. His biggest impact has come as a central midfielder with a goal and an assist from six matches.
While the 20-year-old is considered as the world’s best young talent, FourFourTwo places Bayern Munich’s midfielder Kingsley Coman in the second spot with Renato Sanches, his teammate at Bayern, coming third in the list. However, it should be remembered that both these players have been recruited for massive transfer fees. Coman will cost Bayern in the region of €30 million when the performance related bonuses are taken into account, while Sanches has joined the German outfit for €35 million.