Dele Alli has been given a rapturous welcome in Turkey with his move from Everton to Besiktas close to becoming official.
Alli is poised to join Besiktas on loan until the end of the 2022/23 season, although the Turkish side will also have the option to make the move permanent for around £6million. The 26-year-old midfielder only joined Everton from Tottenham in January, but has failed to make an impact on Merseyside in just 13 appearances.
Frank Lampard has therefore decided to cut his losses and allow Alli the chance to resurrect his career with the Turkish giants. He will be among familiar faces at the club, who are managed by former Barnsley and West Brom coach Valerien Ismael, with ex-Tottenham players Gedson Fernandes and Georges-Kevin N'Koudou on the books.
If his greeting is anything to go by then Alli should be welcomed with open arms at Besiktas. The England international touched down in Istanbul on Wednesday night to be greeted by thousands of screaming supporters.
He was given a Besiktas scarf to wear, as well as a gigantic bunch of flowers, at Ataturk Airport. Alli briefly addressed the throng of supporters before getting into a car to head to the club for his medical. His move is expected to be made official on Thursday, once he has undergone a medical and signed all the paperwork.
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"He's very advanced to moving to Besiktas. It's not absolutely done yet but it's very advanced," Lampard said on Tuesday night after Everton’s 1-0 win over Fleetwood Town in the Carabao Cup.
If he is registered in time, Alli could make his debut against Sivasspor on Monday. Besiktas are currently third in the Turkish Super Lig, level on points with rivals Fenerbahce and Istanbul Basaksehir after winning two and drawing one of their opening three games.
Alli will be desperate to rediscover his best form from his time at Tottenham, where he contributed 67 goals and 61 assists in 269 appearances between 2015 and 2022. He will also be hoping to get back into contention for Gareth Southgate’s England squad ahead of the World Cup in Qatar in November. Having featured heavily at the 2018 World Cup, Alli has not played for the Three Lions since 2019.
Former Rangers striker Ally McCoist believes Alli is taking a wrong step by moving to Turkey. “It’s two or three steps down [from the Premier League ],” he said on talkSPORT. “I’m really sad that Dele Alli is going to the Turkish league. He just looks lost. He needs to go and not so much feel loved, but feel comfortable and go and enjoy himself. It’s a sad story, it really is.”
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