It’s surprising to hear that Besiktas are considering extending Dele Alli’s loan spell at the club despite his torrid time since joining from Everton at the beginning of the season, writes the Express.
Alli’s appearances have been limited to only 17 matches due to a hip injury, and he was even booed off by Besiktas fans during a Turkish Cup match against Şanlıurfa last December. After that incident, manager Senol Gunes had banished Alli from matchday squads for the rest of the season.
Initial reports suggested that Besiktas had no interest in keeping Alli beyond his current season-long loan. However, there has been a sudden change of heart from Besiktas president Ahmet Nur Cebi, who is now open to the possibility of signing Alli permanently if he leaves Everton for free in the summer, as reported by the Daily Mail. Alli’s contract with Everton is set to expire in 2024.
Alli recently made headlines after being caught up in controversy when pictures emerged of him sucking on a balloon surrounded by gas canisters. The former Tottenham midfielder has not yet addressed the issue, but Everton manager Sean Dyche gave his opinion when asked about Alli and the images.
He said: “You can only guide people with what you think is good for them. Eventually, players have choices, so we recommend they make good choices.
“But behind that, he’s factually injured. He’s come back with a proper injury that’s going to take some time to get sorted out, so he’ll use that period wisely, I hope.”
“He [Alli] is not here. He has an injury which will keep him out for some time. Some of the stuff reported – they know what they should and shouldn’t be doing.
“As a manager, you cannot control everything in their lives. Should we be following them all day? You can only guide them. He has an injury which will take a while to sort out – it will be a number of weeks.”