Everton boss Frank Lampard has previously hailed Dele Alli as a ‘special player’ with ‘the world at his feet’ as the Toffees plot a late deadline day move for the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder.
The former Chelsea boss was appointed as the Merseyside outfit’s new manager on Monday afternoon as he became the man to replace Rafa Benitez at the helm.
Lampard showed no hesitation in turning to the transfer market to bolster his squad with the arrival of Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek, whilst it was also reported that Everton expressed their interest in Alli, with further reports suggesting that a deal had been agreed.
Ahead of being appointed at Goodison Park, Lampard publicly expressed his admiration of the Tottenham midfielder after seeing him score 21 goals in just his second season in north London.
Talking to Goals on Sunday in 2017, the former England international said: “Dele Alli is a special player. He is better than me when I was 20, that's for sure.
“He is like a second striker at the moment but I think that makes sense because the way they play, with the quality in and around the box, he needs to be up there all the time.
“He's got the knack for runs, he scores great goals like he did yesterday. Seeing goals that he scored in the week against Swansea, he was running in the six-yard box.
“Too many attacking midfield players get towards the penalty spot and then stop and don't go that extra mile but there's so many goals to be had. But he does.”
Whilst Alli, now 25, has seen his career stall in north London, Lampard was previously predicting big things for the former Milton Keynes Dons prospect.
He continued: “He's ahead of the game. Simple as that. He's advanced. Even on the international stage he looks comfortable.
“I hadn't even got my first England cap by that age – nowhere near it in fact. It's all about his development from now, all the tools are there.
“Those numbers are great we're watching him every week, he's got all the ability it's just how he goes now, not just what he does on the pitch but off the pitch, the people around him, how he grows as a player but with that – as a starting point at 20 years of age, he's got the world at his feet.”
Everton are not thought to be the only interested party in Alli ahead of the deadline, with Spanish club Valencia also reported to be considering a move for his services.
