Back in the summer of 2018, Dele Alli went to the World Cup as one of England’s biggest stars.
Four years on ahead of the next World Cup, Alli is not even on the England radar and his fall from superstardom is as alarming as it is depressing.
Now Alli finds himself stuck in limbo. A brilliantly gifted player who was courted by Manchester United, admired by Sir Alex Ferguson and now is no longer wanted by Antonio Conte as Tottenham look to ship him out in this window.
Tottenham are open to offers and the ideal would be to loan him out, get him playing again to boost his confidence and kick start his revival.
It is hard to see any suitable clubs willing to make an offer to sign him permanently simply because, as Jose Mourinho said in the Amazon documentary, will they be signing Dele or his brother.
Alli was eye-catching because of his style of play, his goals, assists plus his poster boy good looks, modelling contracts and he used to be valued in the £100m bracket.
It is incredible to think Alli is still only 25, his rise to fame is a great story as he had a difficult childhood, he signed for MK Dons and won 2015-16 and 2016-17 PFA Young Player of the Year, became a superstar under Mauricio Pochettino and broke into the England team.
Fergie admired his “aggression” and urged Jose Mourinho to sign him for Manchester United while the likes of Real Madrid and Paris Saint Germain were also big-name suitors.
Alli scored in England’s World Cup quarter-final win over Sweden and it is hard to think of another player in that squad who had the talent, good looks and potential superstar tag.
But it was after the 2018 World Cup when things began to unravel largely because of injuries and he has not been capped by England since July 2019.
Alli signed a mega six-year contract at Tottenham in October 2018, his £100,000-a-week wages - which went up significantly with add-ons - was done to tie down one of English football’s best prospects.
But since then, Alli’s drop in fortunes has been nothing short of remarkable and like no other big star of his generation.
Injuries did not help but his relationship with Pochettino was cooling even by the time the Argentinian manager was sacked by Tottenham in 2019. Pochettino voiced frustrations about Alli’s fitness amid talk about gaming sessions keeping him up into the small hours.
Alli had lost his guaranteed starting place at Tottenham. But it is way too easy to say that Mourinho was to blame for Alli’s demise at Tottenham.
Have a look at the first game of the 2020/21 season, Mourinho’s first full season in charge and Alli started in the No10 role, was given a proper chance - and yet was substituted at half time.
Alli was then linked with moves at the end of the transfer window - but no one can say Mourinho did not try. It was the same with Nuno Espirito Santo as Alli started under him, but lost his place after being hooked at half time as Tottenham lost their sixth game of the season at Arsenal.
Losing his place under Pochettino, Mourinho, Nuno and now Conte probably tells its own story. And there has to be some self-reflection on Alli’s part.
Incredibly, his last goal in the Premier League from open play came in January 2020 against Norwich City. That is an incredible statistic for a player who his 23 goals in all competitions in the 2016/17 season. He was prolific as a No10, attacking midfielder or second striker.
So what has gone wrong? You could point to the contract. Players can switch off after big deals. Or injuries. Even leaving his vastly experienced agent Rob Segal who helped steer him to stardom. Sometimes hard truths are difficult to hear.
But legendary ex-Tottenham boss David Pleat, who still has one of the best eyes for young players, will passionately defend him in conversation. Former MK Dons boss Karl Robinson talked of Alli doing things with a football no other young player could do.
The talent is still there but he just needs a reboot.
That is why Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy may be reluctant to sell rather than loan. He will not give up easily on a player so naturally gifted and is haunted by the prospect of him coming good somewhere else.
Some critics suggest that Alli was never that good, was overhyped and the fanfare went to his head. If you meet him, he is a nice guy, funny, shy even. Clearly, he enjoys the social side of life. But which footballer doesn’t?
That is just wrong. He is a huge talent. A brilliant player who just needs a chance to get his career back on track. And to refocus his own mind.
