The curious case of Dele Alli — once one of the most sought-after players in England, how did someone with the potential of Steven Gerrard end up struggling for gametime at Everton, know why his career regressed along with his club history
The midfield’s swift fall from grace has been down to a number of factors.
From neglecting José Mourinho’s advice, to perhaps being thrust onto to scene too early, Alli looks a pale imitation of the teenager we saw light up the Premier League in recent years. The diamond found in the rough of League One fodder MK Dons. Read on, as we take a look at just how things have gone so wrong in Alli’s Premier League career.
Examining Dele Alli Fall From Grace, Club History, Career Stats
The early years
Mauricio Pochettino was clearly the manager that could get the best out of Alli, having signed him from League One and integrated him into the first team setup immediately. In his first season, at just 19 years old, he hit double figures for goals and assists, and then scored 22 the year after, forming a deadly alliance with Harry Kane and Heung-min Son.
Spurs enjoyed their golden era under Pochettino, and despite not winning a trophy under the Argentinean, they established themselves as consistent challengers in the title race on the Betdaq betting exchange, and even reached the 2019 Champions League final, although beaten by Liverpool.
Dip in form
Once Pochettino left north London, things started to nosedive for both Spurs and Alli on a personal level. Mourinho’s standards were extremely high, and you only need to look at the ‘All or Nothing’ documentary to see the demand he puts on his players.
Add to this that just four months into his tenure the coronavirus pandemic forced games behind closed doors. And during an already stop-start season for Alli, he was unable to bounce off the crowd in the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as games took place behind closed doors. Every time Mourinho looked as though he’d got through to him though, an injury or a drop in form would disrupt Alli’s development, spending a couple of years treading water and struggling to progress.
It surprised even Alex Ferguson, who expected big things from Alli from when he was a teenager. “I thought Dele Alli was going to be a top player, I must admit,” he said, “I don’t know what’s happened there.”
Move to Everton
After Antonio Conte arrived at Spurs, Alli was becoming more of a bit-part player. In desperate need for a fresh start, he made the move to Everton, arriving as the main man of Frank Lampard’s relegation-threatened side. But, he’s failed to live up to expectation in Merseyside, picking up more niggling injuries and losing his place in the side to local lad Antony Gordon.
With the Toffees ensuring their survival though, next season will feel like a clean slate at Goodison Park, and with an adoring fan base — one that showed their desperation for a new hero from their pitch invasion — Alli could spearhead Everton back to where they want to be. Lampard played that position to great effect and can clearly influence Alli, who will be desperate to try and get an outside chance in Gareth Southgate’s England squad.
Lampard believes he still has time to turn things around, regardless of his shaky start.
“Do you question it? Yes, because he hasn’t played regularly. That’s not easy for players. But can he deliver? He showed he can.
“The reality is when Dele came here, I never saw it as a short-term. It had to be a work in progress and that is not easy for a 25-year-old to take and understand.”
He added: “This is hopefully a real lift for him. He should take a lift from it because it affected us staying in the Premier League. After Sunday (he can) go away and have a really good summer and give everything to reach those levels regularly.”