Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has revealed he is hoping to get in touch with Dele Alli at some point soon to touch base with the struggling former Tottenham star.
Alli's career has been on a startling downward spiral ever since his time at Spurs when the north Londoners were under the guidance of Jose Mourinho, who famously warned the England international about how his off-field lifestyle.
On deadline day of the January transfer window last year, Alli called time on his seven-year Spurs stay to join Everton, but that move to Merseyside failed to spark a significant turnaround in terms of his form. Alli's deal with the Toffees saw him arrive on a free transfer which could then rise as high as £40million if certain performance-related clauses were met.
Instead, he was shipped off on loan to Besiktas just eight months later. That switch went south even quicker after Alli fell out with manager Senol Gunes, who publicly declared that the ex-Spurs man was "below expectations in terms of efficiency."
Earlier this week, Alli returned to Everton and reported for pre-season training, though it remains unclear just how big a part Toffees boss Sean Dyche thinks the midfielder can play moving forward.
Pochettino has addressed Alli's recent struggles during his first press conference as manager of Chelsea and declared he is aiming to have a conversation with the 27-year-old to get to the bottom of the problem.
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"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."
Considering the amount of work that awaits Pochettino at Stamford Bridge, it may seem strange to some that he wants to also take on the responsibility of checking in on his former player. On the other hand, it could be seen as a testament to his relationship with Alli and his hands-on man-management style.
Everton boss Dyche discussed Alli's chances of making it at Goodison Park back in April, but kept his cards close to his chest.
"There isn’t anything other than getting him fit,” Dyche said. "I’ve heard all the noise, I’ve heard all the opinions and I’m pretty sure you’re aware that I like to make my own. But he needs to get fit.
"I’ve met him but I haven’t seen him train, I haven’t seen him play for Everton, I haven’t seen him train with us every day."
