Opinion: Looking at whether Dele Alli has a future at Tottenham Hotspur

Dele Alli seems to be a player that splits opinion amongst both fans and managers, with the English attacking midfielder starting to move his way back into the Tottenham side under interim manager Ryan Mason.

The recent performance against Wolves at the end of the season was one of Dele’s most positive, as he showed old signs of linking play with players like Kane and Bale and being a pathway through to the attack.

Dele was also starting to show some of his old flair and swagger in that Wolves game, however, the following performance against Aston Villa suggested that the Dele we once knew and still long for may be behind us.

Therefore, it could be time for him to move on.

An aspect that people tend to forget about Alli is that he is still relatively young. Despite his absence in the team over the past 12 months or so, he still has managed to rack up over 250 appearances for Spurs.

This possibly gives reason to believe that a man of his experience should be able to regain his level of performance, such as players like Bale and Ndombele have.

However, Dele, after showing signs of progression, seemed to go off the boil again slightly, with him being hooked off in the 68th minute against Leicester after failing to make an impression in the game.

A quality that Alli has that can often hold him back in manager selections is his need to push further up the pitch, almost acting as a second striker.

However, with a new manager set to enter the frame over the summer, they will have to make a big decision over whether they can fit in a player such as Dele Alli to their system, or whether they feel they want more of a creative outlet in that position that is willing to drop deeper to help a shaky defense.

Therefore, these past few games may have acted as an audition for Alli, but with him only getting one assist, it is tough to see a future for him.

This is especially the case when another season of him playing a bit-part role in the team would decrease his value further and the club may see it as his time to move on.

An issue that the next manager may also see is the overload in numbers in the midfield area. With Skipp returning from a successful loan, it’s likely we will see him start to edge his way into the team this coming season.

This could leave the likes of Winks, Lo Celso, Ndombele and Sissoko all in an unknown position, or fighting for a starting spot.

It might lead to the next manager choosing to play one of Ndombele or Lo Celso in a further forward role or change the formation.

Overall, we know that Daniel Levy is a fan of the English attacker and would be reluctant to see a valuable asset leave the club, however, if a new manager joins and doesn’t foresee a future for Alli it may be wise to move him on or send him out on a loan.

It’s going to be a summer of change at Spurs and a decision over Dele Alli is definitely one to keep an eye on.

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