‘A real waste’ – Sam Allardyce surprised by what happened to former Spurs man

Sam Allardyce has admitted that he has been shocked by Dele Alli’s decline, given how good a player he was at Tottenham a few years ago.

It was not long ago that Alli was considered by many to be the future of both Tottenham and England, with the midfielder’s subsequent decline leaving many scratching their heads.

The 26-year-old might have hoped to arrest his slide and get his career back on track when he joined Besiktas on loan during the summer but he has continued to struggle in Turkey, with just two league goals in 13 appearances so far this season (Transfermarkt).

Sky Sports Football Daily reported back in January that Besiktas were even prepared to cut the midfielder’s loan spell short and send him back to Everton.

However, it was explained that they would have still owed the Toffees the full £1m loan fee since there is no break clause in the loan deal, which might have been why the player remained at the Turkish club.

Allardyce, who managed Alli during his short stint as England boss, admitted that the former Tottenham man was an ‘outstanding’ talent and suggested that off-field issues are likely to blame for his decline.

The former Bolton boss said on the No Tippy Tappy Football Podcast about the midfielder: “It’s a real waste of talent that. A raw, outstanding talent. He came on as a sub in that game I had (for England), and he turned the game in our favour to win it. There was nothing wrong with him when he got on the pitch, he was outstanding.

“You see players generally have a dip a bit younger when they breakthrough so young, but he was so established and such a big part of Tottenham’s success, if you can call it a success, and then nobody expected that. I don’t know whose responsibility it was. As a manager, I’d have asked what’s wrong, because it had to be off the field.”

Spurs Web Opinion

Dele just seems like someone who has fallen out of love with football, which can sometimes happen to players who taste a lot of success quite early in their careers and then struggle to get back to the same heights.

What makes his story unique is the sheer speed of his decline as he went from one of the best players in the Premier League to struggling to start for Besiktas in the space of three years.

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