Journalist Seb Stafford-Bloor has claimed that it does not look as though there is a “way back” for Dele Alli at Tottenham Hotspur.
So far this season, the English midfielder has made just four appearances for Spurs in the Premier League, three of which have come off the bench (per WhoScored).
This lack of action has led to some speculation over the player’s future, with Paris Saint-Germain having been reported to have tried to secure his services in the summer (per BBC).
With the January transfer window now upon us, it has been stated that the French club will come back in for Alli with a loan offer.
During a recent episode of the Tifo Football Podcast, Stafford-Bloor discussed the midfielder’s future at The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and made a claim about it.
He said: “I think it’s really difficult to be fair about Jose Mourinho now because we’re so informed by past precedent, it’s very difficult not to think of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, for instance, or Paul Pogba.
“So, it’s very, very difficult to be unbiased or to approach that kind of situation with a level head, but it doesn’t seem as if there’s much of a way back for Dele Alli and I think that’s a great shame.
“He’s a wonderful player, he’s also – irrespective of what may or may not have happened over the past 18 months – done wonderful things for Tottenham.
“It’s a little bit dispiriting to see the almost fickle response to his downturn because he’s an excellent footballer and he will be again. He’s 24 years old, people behave as if he’s 29.
“He’s probably got the best of his career ahead of him and there just needs to be a little bit of perseverance from everybody on all sides of this, but it doesn’t seem like that’s going to happen.”
TIF Thoughts on what Seb Stafford-Bloor said about Dele Alli…
As can be seen in what the journalist had to say, he believes that there does not appear to be much of a “way back” for the English midfielder under Mourinho.
Would you like to see Dele Alli given the chance to re-find his form with Spurs?
No, he needs to go
Yes, he should stay
In fairness to the Portuguese manager, Alli has been poor when he has played for Tottenham this term, having been the club’s worst-performing player in the league with a 6.11/10 average rating (per WhoScored).
However, his stellar 7.35/10 average ratings over the 2015/16 and 2016/17 Premier League campaigns have proven what a talented player he is.
So, perhaps the 24-year-old midfielder does deserve to be given time to re-find his form at The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.