Dele Alli’s career has slumped in recent seasons after breaking onto the scene as a teenager and showing himself to be one of the hottest talents in England while at Tottenham
Mauricio Pochettino speaks to Dele Alli at Old Trafford (Image: Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Mauricio Pochettino had one of England’s hottest young talents while he was at Tottenham Hotspur. But that talent has seemingly been wasted since his departure.
Dele Alli had the world at his feet after completing a £5million move from MK Dons to Spurs in 2015. As a 19-year-old he scored ten goals and made 11 assists in his first season in north London, earning an England call-up within months of breaking into the first team.
Better was to come. He netted 22 goals and provided a further 13 assists in 2016/17 with 14 goals and 17 assists in 2017/18. things were not quite so good for Pochettino or Alli in 2018/19, but he still managed seven goals and eight assists in 2018/19, with nine goals and six assists in 2019/20.
The downward spiral was there for all to see, however, and Jose Mourinho even called him out on his attitude during the Tottenham All Or Nothing Amazon documentary. Mourinho said: “From the beginning, I had no doubts about your potential. I’ve seen you play incredible games and do incredible things, but I’ve always noticed that you have ups and downs.
“There’s a big difference from a player who stays consistent and a player who has moments and that’s what makes the difference between a top, top player and a player with great potential.
“It’s something that you don’t have to share with me, but it’s something for you to analyse yourself and realise why your career has been good…. OK, from MK Dons to the national team. Bang! You get to the top and then…
“Why you have those ups and downs in your career, I don’t know. I don’t know if it’s because of your lifestyle, if in one period you’re a great professional and in another period you’re a party animal? I don’t know, I have no idea. Only you know.
“I’m 56 years old now and yesterday – yesterday! yesterday! I was 20. Time flies. And one day you’ll regret it, I think, if you don’t achieve what you can achieve.”
Alli made the move to Everton in January 2022, having been unable to make a mark in Antonio Conte’s Tottenham team then and has since been on loan to Besiktas, where things did not go to plan. He is back at Everton for pre-season training, but the now 27-year-old faces an uphill battle to get his career back on track.
Pochettino wants to help. “I hope to have some time to call and see because he is a great guy and I want to talk a little bit with him and hear,” the Argentine explained. “I want to help him and see what is going on with him. He is still young.
“And for sure he has the mentality. Now it’s a long time since I spoke to him but I want to contact him again and see what is going on.”
Soucre: football.london
