Super-agent Jorge Mendes is leading the race to represent Tottenham man of the moment Dele Alli, according to the Mail.
The newspaper claim that Alli’s future could well rest with who is his agent and the current frontrunner is Mendes, who has been the guiding force during Cristiano Ronaldo’s glittering career.
The Mail report that that the Hickmans, who have looked after Alli for years, have not ruled out Mino Raiola, the representative of Manchester United trio Romelu Lukaku, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba, because he is more open to the idea of taking care of transfers and contracts but leaving them to manage the player’s day-to-day affairs and PR.
Alli is the talk of Europe after his double secured a sensational 3-1 win for Tottenham over Champions League holders Real Madrid on Wednesday night.
Good move for Tottenham?
Alli’s future could well rest upon who represents him, and there will be concern about Spurs fans if Mendes ends up as his agent. It will surely only increase the chances of the 21-year-old leaving White Hart Lane. There is currently no conceivable angle from which selling Alli would be a good move for Spurs, even if it were to generate a £100million-plus fee. It is entirely sensible of Tottenham to protect their asset by offering him an improved contract, even though his current deal runs until 2022. The England international has emerged as one of the outstanding players in the Premier League after joining Spurs permanently in the summer of 2015. In 109 matches for the north Londoners, Alli has scored 39 goals and supplied 25 assists, stand-out statistics for an attacking midfielder who does not turn 22 until next April. The scary thing is he is a long way off his peak. Curb that hair-trigger temper and the world is the oyster for this brilliant midfielder.
This Is Futbol rating: 1/10
Likely to happen?
It is likely that Alli will sign up for a contract extension, but this does not mean his future is bulletproof. Far from it. Alli is set to switch agents, and joining up with someone like Raiola or Mendes would increase the likelihood of a mega-money transfer from Tottenham to a European big gun. Alli is unlikely to leave Spurs next summer as the club prepare to move to a new stadium, but the following year is a different matter, entirely.
This Is Futbol rating: 6/10