Jermain Defoe has revealed he heard from Dele Alli a few years ago that Real Madrid had talked to his agent about a potential move to the Spanish capital.
Alli looked destined to reach the very top for both club and country after his first two or three years at Tottenham but the attacking midfielder’s career has nosedived since then.
The 25-year-old would have been hoping that his recent move to Everton would help him get his career back on track but that has not proved to be the case so far.
In fact, the England international has not started a single game for the Toffees since his move to Goodison Park.
Reports indicate that those at Everton were surprised by how low Alli’s fitness levels were when he arrived, particularly given that he had featured for Spurs on several occasions in the first half of the season (The Daily Mirror).
Defoe admitted that he has been bemused by how far Alli has fallen in just a few years.
The former Tottenham striker told Sky Sports Premier League (03/04/22 at 1:55 pm): “When It’s not happening for you at one club, then you go to another club, you feel you have something to prove.
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“You get that fire back and want to impress the players in training. The manager and the coaches. I just think it’s strange.
“I remember having a conversation with Dele Alli and he said to me, not just speculation, he said to me ‘Real Madrid were on the phone to his agent’. This was a few years ago.
“To be linked with Real Madrid and later on you go to Everton, yet you still can’t get into the team, then there is something wrong.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Dele’s first few years at Spurs were almost a perfect storm for the attacking midfielder, given the chances we were creating with the likes of Eriksen and the manner in which we were controlling games with Dembele in midfield.
The former MK Dons man was always going to struggle to keep up that level of output but his decline over the last two years, in particular, has been quite staggering and indicative of a player who has completely lost confidence.
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