‘He misses Eriksen’ – Ledley King makes honest admission about Dele Alli

Ledley King has hinted that Dele Alli is missing the creativity that used to be supplied by former Tottenham playmaker Christian Eriksen. 

Alli, 25, has struggled for consistency and form over the last three seasons and has found himself in and out of the Tottenham line-up as a result. 

He started all of Spurs’ opening six Premier League games this season after Nuno Espirito Santo elected to deploy him in a deeper role in central midfield. 

However, a run of underwhelming performances have since led him to lose his starting spot once again and now faced an uphill battle to break back into the side over the likes of Tanguy Ndombele and Oliver Skipp. 

Spurs icon King believes one of the causes of Alli’s struggles in recent seasons comes down to the departure of Eriksen, who left North London in January 2020 to join Inter Milan. 

He claims Alli is missing the Dane’s creativity, which in previous campaigns allowed him to venture forward and get into dangerous attacking areas. 

Speaking on the Kelly and Wrighty Show (17/10/21) he said: “For me, it’s up to Dele and how much he wants to get out of himself. They have played 4-2-3-1 enough times and he can be the third guy centrally.

“But his game is about arriving in the box. The timing. That’s his gift. Timing and finishing. I have said before that, he misses Eriksen a little bit in the team. 

“He was someone who could find and play that pass from a distance. I am not sure any of the other midfield players can pick out his runs like the same way he did, unless it’s Harry Kane dropping deep.

“I think he has suffered with that a little bit and now he has got to find a way to get back and improve his game. But it has been a tough few years for him.”

Spurs Web Opinion 

Eriksen’s departure has definitely affected Alli’s game, as we saw on so many occasions the dangerous link-up they both had.

Spurs haven’t exactly replaced Eriksen directly to this day, and with Alli still struggling to make an impact, it doesn’t look too promising that things can be turned around. 

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