Before the match against Liverpool, Graeme Souness said he sees no way back for Dele Alli at Tottenham Hotspur after the midfielder’s decline over recent years.
Alli has had a few false dawns over the last couple of years, with the midfielder threatening to get back to his best at the start of both Jose Mourinho’s and Nuno Espirito Santo’s spells in North London.
The 25-year-old eventually fell out of favour with both Portuguese managers and if reports over recent weeks are to be believed, Antonio Conte has already decided that the former MK Dons man is not part of his plans going forward.
However, the England international was handed his first start in the Premier League under Conte against Liverpool on Sunday, with Spurs missing some key players following the Covid-19 outbreak at the club.
Alli certainly gave a decent account of himself and earned the Tottenham boss’ praise following his side’s 2-2 draw against the Reds.
However, speaking before the match, Souness argued that the midfielder is unlikely to save his Spurs career and insisted Alli’s fall from grace should be a warning for the likes of James Maddison, Mason Mount and Phil Foden not to take their eye off the ball.
The former Liverpool midfielder wrote in his column for The Times: “Speaking of lessons, Dele Alli’s decline provides one for aspiring attacking midfielders such as Phil Foden, Mason Mount and especially James Maddison.
MORE SPURS STORIES
“Alli has had his time at Spurs and I don’t see a way back for him there now. He threatened to be a top player at one stage, he burst on the scene and everyone thought, ‘what a talent he’s going to develop into,’ but it never happened.
“That should scream to Maddison, Foden and Mount because a few years back he was the one that everyone was talking about, he was going to be an England regular but he has not achieved it and only he knows why not.
“How many managers have tried to get him going again at Tottenham? Mauricio Pochettino, Nuno Espiritio Santo, Jose Mourinho and now Conte.”
Spurs Web Opinion
I thought the 3-5-2 system that Conte employed against Liverpool suited Dele perfectly. However, it is going to take more than one good performance for the 25-year-old to save his Spurs career.
He will have to continue performing at the same standard over the next few weeks leading up to the January transfer window or the club could well decide to cash in on him.
Keep up to date with all the latest Tottenham news and opinion by following SpursWeb’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.
