Hugo Lloris has spoken about Dele Alli’s fall from grace after the midfielder made a whirlwind start to his Tottenham Hotspur career.
Dele arrived at Spurs from League One side MK Dons as an unknown quantity, and it did not take him long to win over the Tottenham fans.
The attacking midfielder was a key part of the Mauricio Pochettino revolution at Spurs, as the Lilywhites came close to winning the Premier League and the Champions League.
Dele had the world at his feet at the time, and was widely considered one of the best young players in the world, and almost no one could have foreseen what followed.
Hugo Lloris says Dele Alli story was sad to see after time together at Tottenham
At 30 years of age, the former Tottenham midfielder is supposed to be at the peak of his career. Instead, he finds himself without a club at the moment.
Hugo Lloris admitted that it hurts to see what has happened to his former Spurs teammate, and insisted that it should serve as a warning to young players never to stop working hard and take their eye off the ball.
When asked about Dele’s predicament, the former Tottenham captain told the Rio Ferdinand Presents YouTube channel: “It’s sad. It’s really sad. It hurts. I really like Dele and it was hard to predict. He was so talented and he started his career at Spurs so well, even with the national team jersey.
“But that’s more… It’s not only for Dele, but it’s almost the message to address to young players. You cannot lose the focus on football.
“Today, it’s really easy to get distracted by everything around and then you misunderstand what is the reality. The reality is what is happening on the field every day. That’s your job.
“The rest, yes, of course, you can develop a lot of things around football. And I think, talking with a lot of ex-players or even current players, I don’t think there is any secret: hard work, dedication to football, passion for football, and make yourself ready to compete because football demands a lot.”
Dele Alli has opened up on his struggles with mental health and addiction in recent years, as well as lingering childhood trauma. In a conversation with Gary Neville on The Overlap, the former Tottenham star explained:
“It’s always been me against myself in everything – I was winning the fight, smiling, showing I was happy, but inside I was definitely losing the battle. I want to help other people to know they’re not alone in the feelings they’ve got. It doesn’t make you weak, to get help.
“I’m scared to talk about it but I think it’s the right thing to do.
“One morning I woke up and had to go training. I remember I was staring in the mirror, asking if I could retire. At 24. Doing the thing I love. For me, that was heartbreaking.”
The Tottenham fan favourite added: “When I came back from Turkey, I found out I needed an operation. I was in a bad place mentally. I decided to go to a modern rehab facility that deals with addiction and mental health and trauma. I felt it was time for me. You can’t be told to go there, you have to make the decision yourself.
“I was in a bad cycle. I was relying on things that were doing me harm. So I went there for six weeks.”
On mental health, Dele said: “There is a stigma around it and it’s something people don’t want to do. Going into rehab is scary but I could never have imagined how much I would get from it and how much it would help.
“Going there and learning about it, it was never really under my control. Understanding and learning it has helped. I let go of some bad feelings I was holding which were slowing me down and holding me back.
“I want to help other people to know they’re not alone. You can talk to people. It doesn’t make you weak to get help, be vulnerable. There’s a lot of strength in that.
“Going away and talking about it and understanding it more, I did need help. I couldn’t do it by myself any more. That’s what people need to understand. We’re definitely stronger as humans together. You don’t have to deal with everything alone.”
Dele’s career trajectory should serve as a warning to Lucas Bergvall
According to reports, Bergvall remains determined to seek a new challenge away from Spurs, despite being informed by the Lilywhites that he is a key part of their plans.
The Swede is widely expected to leave Tottenham this window, which some may view as a hasty decision from the 20-year-old, who has got plenty of game time over the last two seasons.
Perhaps the former Djugardens man may look back on his decision in four or five years, and wish he had persevered at Spurs.