Once hailed as a rising star in football, Dele Alli has experienced a significant decline in his career in recent years. As relays the Daily Record, the former Tottenham Hotspur player, who enjoyed great success at the North London club with over 181 appearances, made a move to Everton in 2022 after struggling to regain a place in the first team under troubled manager Antonio Conte. Everton secured the services of the attacking midfielder initially on a free transfer, with the potential for the deal to reach a staggering £40 million based on performance-related conditions.
However, during the past two seasons, the 27-year-old only managed to make 13 appearances for Everton before being loaned out to Besiktas. While in Turkey, he encountered a disagreement that led to him going absent without leave from training. Alli denied allegations of a conflict and subsequently returned to his Premier League club to recover from an injury. Alex Iwobi, a fellow Everton player, shed light on why Alli’s once promising career has faltered, attributing it to his lack of dedication and effort on the training ground.
This sentiment aligns with Jose Mourinho’s public criticism, labeling Alli as “lazy” during the filming of the “All or Nothing” documentary. As a result, Alli’s inability to make a significant impact on the pitch at Everton has left many puzzled given his initial hype and potential.
He told FilthyFellas: “With him, he will say it himself, he isn’t a training player. Unless it’s a match in training and then you see Dele perform.
“When it comes to training matches, he is a joke. When it comes to drills – he tries, but because he’s slow with it. When it comes to games, he will score and assist or something. It was hard for him to play. If you’re not just doing it in training, and at the time, the manager needed reliable players. He couldn’t really put his trust in him. We all know Dele could have performed.”