Gus Poyet urges Spurs star to concentrate on football instead of off-field antics

Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Gus Poyet has questioned whether Dele Alli is currently playing at his full potential.

Alli’s rise to stardom has been nothing short of meteoric following his bargain £5million transfer from MK Dons in 2015 (BBC).

The England international has gone on to become a household name and has seen his name in the headlines in the past being romantically linked with a reality TV contestant (Standard) along with a heavy social media presence into his new fashion brand, Leo Fortis.

During Tottenham’s 1-0 defeat to Ajax in the Champions League semi final first leg on Tuesday night, the 23-year-old did not perform to the standard which fans would have hoped and was certainly not the only player to live up to expectations and has only managed seven goals in all competitions this season.

With Heung-min Son serving a one match suspension, it was hoped that Alli would play in more of an attacking role and have an influence in the final third of the pitch.

Poyet compared the Tottenham player to Paul Pogba, where there is plenty of potential in the French midfielder but is not reaching the heights expected of him on the field.

Poyet told talkSPORT: “Everyone was expecting a lot from him, especially without [Heung-min] Son

“I was one of the biggest critics of Dele Alli, because I think he’s got so much quality.

“Obviously in our time, we didn’t have all these sponsors, Instagram, the clothing brands and other things, but now there are many things that can take you away from football.

“I was one of the ones who said two or three years ago that I would love him just to concentrate on football, because he can become one of the best ever at Tottenham.

“Another one is Paul Pogba. Physically, technically, he’s got everything, but unfortunately for some reason there’s always a question mark over him.”