Tottenham’s Dele Alli was regarded as one of the most electrifying young midfielders in world football, but a number of lacklustre seasons have seen him fall well down the pecking order in north London.
Astonishing performances early in his career created the feeling Dele was a future world-beater, but after some below-par seasons spanning back to 2019, fans have been left wondering if Jose Mourinho was right to leave him out of his plans.
Things started to look shaky for the England international towards the end of Mauricio Pochettino’s reign at the club, but Alli found form again after the arrival of Mourinho, scoring four goals in his first four games under the Portuguese manager.
However, cracks started forming and became even more evident due to Amazon’s highly-rated show ‘All or Nothing’, where Mourinho was seen calling him “f***ing lazy”.
Mourinho would later express his unhappiness at Dele’s approach to football in a meeting with club chairman Daniel Levy.
“I told Deli, very directly, he doesn’t train well,” the Special One said. “He’s not a good trainer. I’m not saying a disaster, I’m not saying a Harry Kane. Harry Kane trains well.”
Mourinho took a firm approach in expressing his issues with the midfielder personally, in another infamous meeting aired in the documentary.
“I think you are a nice kid. I don’t want to be your father because you have your father,” he added. “I just want to be your coach but with a good connection.
“Maybe you tell me to f**k off but I have to tell you exactly what I think.”
“I have no doubts about your potential. I saw you do incredible matches and incredible things, but I always felt you had ups and downs. One day I think you will regret it if you don’t reach what you can reach.”
Some may question Mourinho’s man-management skills, but with Alli seeing just one start under new boss Antonio Conte this season, it could be time for the 25-year-old to cut ties with the club he’s called home since 2015.
Newcastle are leading the race at 7/2 odds with a number of betting sites to claim the signature of the out-of-favour midfielder and fans who agree he’ll end up on Tyneside can use enticing promo codes found at many online casinos to back their side.
Reports are suggesting that Conte has already expressed to Levy his wish to offload the player, who made it clear Tottenham need to “sell before they buy” in the next transfer window.
Dele apparently had all but secured himself a move to PSG last January, before the switch was blocked last minute by Levy himself, but after more ineffective performances and a season of being an unused substitute the chairman is now ready to cash in.
After the Italian’s appointment at Spurs, he promised he would give Alli a chance to find his form again in the side.
Conte said: “I remember very well when we played against Tottenham in the past, specifically one game when we lost after 13 wins in a row and Dele scored twice.
“But this is the past. Now there is a present and for sure Dele is a player that has great potential. Physically he is strong and very good.
“For sure I give him the possibility to show he has talent. At the same time, when I pick the starting eleven I do it because I think they can bring the team to win, the same when I make changes during the game.”
His only start under Conte came in an embarrassing 2-1 defeat at the hands of Slovenian minnows NS Mura in the Europa League, where Dele was taken off after 54 minutes.