Dele Alli previously had the world at his feet with the former Tottenham star looking set to become the next great hope for English football.
Still just 26, the midfielder’s career has stalled and is threatening to come to a grinding stop - a sight that would certainly be sad given the huge promise that he had displayed. After making his name with Milton Keynes Dons, Dele was a surprise £5m signing for Spurs in January 2015.
He was initially intended to be one for the future as he rejoined the side on-loan until the start of the 2014/15 campaign. It did not take long for the midfielder to make an impact in North London though.
He scored on just his second appearance for Spurs in a 1-1 draw with Leicester at the King Power Stadium and played a key role as Mauricio Pochettino ’s side battled with the Foxes for the Premier League title. Whilst the North London side weren’t successful, Dele’s eventual haul of ten goals and 11 assists was an eye-catching total, particularly during his debut season in the top-flight.
He scooped the PFA Young Player of the Year at the end of that campaign, with his form being good enough to earn a full England debut at the age of just 19. Then Three Lions’ boss Roy Hodgson compared him to Bryan Robson.
Dele’s charge towards stardom only proved to gather more pace in the following campaign. Another 22 goals the following season saw him retain the Young Player of the Year award, with boss Pochettino suggesting he could potentially better Brazilian superstar Neymar.
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Speaking at the time, the Argentine said: “I think Dele Alli has a completely different personality to Neymar. I think he's a special player too. I don't know if he's in this level yet—but the potential will be to be like him or better.
“I think Dele is an unbelievable player, great player, still very young and his potential is massive. We'll see what happens. He has the potential to improve a lot.”
Since then, it has been a steady decline for the midfielder. Doubts over his consistency began during the 2017/18 campaign, albeit Dele still captured the imagination on the international stage with his standout performances at the 2018 World Cup in Russia - his goal in the quarter-final against Sweden a particular highlight.
His club form continued to slump though. Pochettino’s eventual replacement Jose Mourinho attempted to intervene and stop the rot.
The Portuguese was shown to pull the midfielder into his office during Amazon’s All or Nothing documentary. During a forthright conversation between the two, the former Manchester United boss said: "I've noticed that you have ups and downs.
"There's a big difference from a player who maintains consistency and a player who has moments and that's what makes the difference between a top, top player and a player with great potential. Time flies and one day you will regret it, if you don't reach what I think you can reach."
Whilst Mourinho’s words were intended to be a warning to the midfielder, they only served to be a prophecy. Dele’s game time in North London continued to dwindle as his star faded.
In his final season-and-a-half with Spurs, he made just 47 appearances in all competitions - just one more than the entirety of his debut campaign with the club - and scored just five goals. With Mourinho replaced by Antonio Conte, Dele’s opportunities with Spurs somehow faded even more and he eventually bid farewell to North London.
He sealed a move to Premier League Everton for nothing, although the Toffees would potentially have been forced to fork out up to £40m should certain conditions be met. After the deal was reached, Conte was asked whether the midfielder could be motivated to prove him wrong but the Italian gave another worrying prediction.
"Honestly, I don’t remember a player that had revenge with me,” he said. “When some players went away, usually they went down, not up — usually."
A career revival failed to materialise as Dele made just 13 appearances on Merseyside and failed to score a goal before he was jettisoned to Turkish side Besiktas on a season-long loan. He was welcomed to Istanbul to great acclaim as supporters flooded the airport to signal his arrival.
It actually all started very well in Turkey too as the 37-time England international scored in two out of his opening three appearances for Besiktas. That proved to be a false dawn as Dele’s career has lurched from disappointing to disaster since.
He has made just three league starts since the end of October and has been left out of the squad entirely for each of the last three games. Besiktas boss Senol Gunes previously stated that he “doesn’t deserve to play”, a statement that Dele actually agreed with but things have not improved.
It was reported earlier this month that Gunes did not intend in selecting the on-loan Everton man again after axing him from the squad, whilst there has been a disagreement between the two parties since. The Besiktas boss had suggested that Dele had “gone missing” following a sanctioned doctor’s appointment.
He responded by claiming that he was intent on returning as soon as possible and would play a full part in training. Regardless, it now seems unlikely that he has a future either in Istanbul or at Everton.
Toffees boss Sean Dyche is set to make a decision over his place at Goodison Park once he returns from Besiktas. Whilst Dele appeared set to be the next big hope for English football, his only hope will surely be to play football of any kind next season.
