ESPN pundit Steve Nicol has given his thoughts on Dele Alli and his future at Tottenham Hotspur following the appointment of Antonio Conte.
The arrival of Conte on an 18-month contract has ignited talk about the sorts of players that the Italian is going to be working with, as reports are already speculating who he is going to bring in, as well as players that might be on their way out the door.
Alli is a player who started out the season as first-choice, starting Spurs’ first six Premier League games, but has only played 17 minutes in the four league games since then.
Speaking about his future on ESPN FC as part of a segment discussing what the squad might look like going forward, Nicol claimed that based on both his apparent attitude as well as his inability to break into the team at some points this season, there might be some indication that he will be on his way at the earliest opportunity:
“I think Dele Alli’s time’s done at Spurs. He doesn’t look as though he’s particularly desperate to be there, I don’t think. The fact that he sometimes hasn’t been in the 18, the only way I can look at that is to suggest that there’s something wrong with his attitude.
“I don’t know that for a fact, but when you’ve got his ability and you don’t even get in the squad, either you’ve chucked it, maybe the manager just doesn’t fancy him at all, but it kind of suggests that his head’s not in it.”
TIF Thoughts on Steve Nicol’s comments on Dele Alli at Tottenham Hotspur…
Will Dele Alli still be at Spurs after the January transfer market?
Yes
No
The good thing for Alli is that there will at least be plenty of opportunities for him to prove whether or not he can bring something to the table for Conte, with Spurs set to play 14 games between now and the turn of the year when the transfer window opens.
Spurs are still in all four competitions this season, and players are likely going to need rotating to keep them fresh for the long season ahead, as well as the possibility of injuries and suspensions thrown in on top of that.
And whilst Alli has been criticised in the past for his attitude when it comes to training by former Spurs boss Jose Mourinho, all he’ll need is a game here or there to shine and show that he might be able to offer something to Conte going forward.
Hopefully, he will be given that chance, because it would be a shame for him to be forced out of the club without being given much of a fair shot under the new manager.
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