Dele Alli at Everton
- Thread starter Spurslove
- Start date
snakehipsspurs
Well-Known Member
- Aug 30, 2017
- 2,231
- 15,726
New RWB option you say ?
BorjeSpurs
Well-Known Member
- Jun 29, 2007
- 3,347
- 18,704
Don’t even know what to say anymore
rabbikeane
Well-Known Member
- Mar 29, 2005
- 7,014
- 12,897
What next Rangers? MK Dons? MLS? Saudi Arabia?
Rocksuperstar
Isn't this fun? Isn't fun the best thing to have?
- Jun 6, 2005
- 53,432
- 67,178
His heart's not in the game anymore. If it had been a sudden plunge when he went to Besiktas, maybe it was the change in lifestyle or moving abroad that upset his game but this has been a gradual decline for so long now. Sure, there's always the possibility that he'll attract a club over here again and find some form, always a chance, but I get the feeling he'll be another Bentley and just fell out of love with the game.
Esports maybe, he's a keen FIFA player, and he's almost certainly got investments in other stuff, so maybe he'll go the Redknapp route and start turning out fashionable clothes and shoes, who knows, but I can't help but feel his time playing football professionally might be drawing to a close.
IamSpurtacus
Well-Known Member
- Jun 5, 2019
- 1,487
- 7,011
Pochemon94
Well-Known Member
- Aug 6, 2019
- 1,617
- 4,390
Super biased opinion. But I think he should come over to the states. Could really help jump start his career. Make good money, play in a decent growing league that still has massive market cities. Maybe feeling like a big fish in a small pond will help jumpstart his confidence and get him going again. If he does well enough, could earn a gig back in the prem.
spursfan77
Well-Known Member
- Aug 13, 2005
- 46,714
- 105,030
It’s a noble thought but I think the ship has sailed. Anyone paying him a wage now will just be wasting everyone’s time.
dontcallme
SC Supporter
- Mar 18, 2005
- 34,529
- 84,453
I said a while ago that the States is his best option.
Shorter season so a better life/work balance. Good money and his natural ability would be enough to
Make an impact.
aussiespursguy
Well-Known Member
- Mar 21, 2015
- 3,449
- 6,712
Adelaide United? Yes please!
hughy
I'm SUPER cereal.
- Nov 18, 2007
- 32,003
- 57,433
Has there ever been a bigger waste of pure talent than Dele? I absolutely love the guy, he gave us so many amazing memories in his first few seasons with us, but he has been piss poor since the age of 23. He will be 27 next month and should be reaching his absolute peak, but instead he's fading away like a 34 year-old.
An element of me feels sorry for him, but at the same time I feel like he only has himself to blame. As long as he's in an OK place mentally and doesn't have any regrets then it's all good, but I hope it's nothing deeper than that for him.
An element of me feels sorry for him, but at the same time I feel like he only has himself to blame. As long as he's in an OK place mentally and doesn't have any regrets then it's all good, but I hope it's nothing deeper than that for him.
Flashp
Well-Known Member
- Aug 31, 2012
- 788
- 3,294
I don't think so.
I can't remember anyone with that amount of talent just wasted. Even Gazza got a lot more out of his footballing career, while being a fragile soul.
PLTuck
Eternal Optimist
- Aug 22, 2006
- 16,071
- 33,550
Marty
Audere est farce
- Mar 10, 2005
- 40,319
- 64,471
Bostock never made it to the first team though.
For someone to score 50 PL goals by age 22, score in a World Cup quarter final at the same age, and then fade into total insignificance within five years is pretty much unheard of.
dontcallme
SC Supporter
- Mar 18, 2005
- 34,529
- 84,453
I think he’s more a guy that excelled at youth level and never did it at professional level. Dean Parrett was another.
Alli hit double figures in the Prem 3 times in a row plus got loads of assists. He then did nothing for 5 seasons and looks like never doing it again, even in a low level league.
PLTuck
Eternal Optimist
- Aug 22, 2006
- 16,071
- 33,550
Oh yeah I agree with all that. I was responding to biggest waste of talent. At least Dele made it to the 1st team for a few years before dropping off a cliff.
Bentley obviously comes to mind as another one that did break through but then pissed it up the wall.
ajspurs
Well-Known Member
- Jul 7, 2007
- 23,278
- 31,702
I always thought he was a bit of an enigma to be honest. To me he never had real stand out attributes with the ball, in that he was an average general passer of the ball, not the greatest striker of a football, not fast with it etc. His best attributes were probably his movement and his mind but when he couldn't really incorporate those things into a match, for whatever reason, it would make him look like a poor player.
Even someone like Sissoko who you could say was far less talented, has more easily transferrable skills in the sense that if you buy him he will more or less deliver what you bought him for. He can be very average, but still provide a necessary or useful physical presence, for example. I think things have to really click for Dele because he doesn't have particular skills to fall back on when he's not really in the game or if he's not in sync with the team and his teammates.
Even someone like Sissoko who you could say was far less talented, has more easily transferrable skills in the sense that if you buy him he will more or less deliver what you bought him for. He can be very average, but still provide a necessary or useful physical presence, for example. I think things have to really click for Dele because he doesn't have particular skills to fall back on when he's not really in the game or if he's not in sync with the team and his teammates.
dontcallme
SC Supporter
- Mar 18, 2005
- 34,529
- 84,453
His all round game clearly wasn’t great but his ball control, physicality, ability in the air, timing of runs, aggression and finishing made him a real goal threat.
Most top teams would happily have had Alli in their squad when he was at his best.
Last edited:
Similar threads
