New Everton manager Frank Lampard has backed Dele Alli to get back to the top but admits it will take time for his transfer deadline day signing to hit the heights again.
Back in 2018, the famous CIES Football Observatory in Switzerland calculated that the then Tottenham Hotspur star was the most expensive midfielder in the world based on his contemporary transfer value but after some lean years since, Alli, still only 25, has joined Everton, initially on a free transfer.
A highly-structured deal could ultimately see the Blues paying £40million for the England international’s services but if they do end up shelling out that much it will be because Alli has achieved great things with them.
Writing in his programme notes for his first game as Everton manager – an FA Cup fourth round tie at home to Brentford for which Alli, fellow deadline day signing Donny van de Beek and Anwar El Ghazi are all ineligible to play in – Lampard said: “The timing of my appointment, on transfer deadline day, made for an incredibly hectic few hours trying to complete the deals we wanted.
“Dele and Donny were the two players we prioritised and the owner, Chairman and Board worked extraordinarily hard to get those moves across the line.
“When you receive that support from above, it hardens your desire to repay those people with results and performances.
“We are excited about getting to work with Dele. He has all the attributes to be one of the best players in the Premier League.
“That was the level he attained a couple of years ago and I can see the hunger in him to get back there.
“We need to be patient with Dele, he’s come to a new club and not had an awful lot of football of late.
“But the Dele I know scores and creates goals, he’s aggressive and passionate and up for the fight. There is everything in there to be a proper Everton player.
“Donny is another player who needs a platform to show what he can do. We want more goals from midfield and he can help with that.
“He’s a tremendous passer of the ball and can put his foot in, too. Above all, talking to Donny, I could see the motivation and desire to play for Everton.”
Meanwhile, Lampard has also hailed the powers of the Goodison Park crowd and as someone whose own playing career at the top took in many of football’s great stadia, declared it a match for anywhere else in the global game.
He said: “I know all about the size and history of Everton and understand the expectation that comes with representing the club.
“Coming to Goodison Park was among the toughest asks of the season.
“It was so difficult as an opposition player, to be honest. You never felt settled. Everton were in your faces, whipped up by the crowd. And when the team got going, the fans gave even more. It was a powerful combination.
“I managed a game here, too, and the atmosphere on that day was so special, as good as anything in the world.
“Our job is to give you a team that mirrors that level of support, that plays with the same passion and ambition you bring to the game every week.”
