Dele Alli at Everton

[dk-yid]

Please don’t use this as a positive.... be honest sissoko became a core squad member because the brilliant centre midfielders we had destroyed their bodies and so had to leave. It was a matter of him being there and having to play improving when playing, but ultimately only getting in because of injuries. Sissoko is a poor footballer.

I used it as an example of a player that improved significantly over time despite being below the level required at a given point in time. Something that is possible with all players under the right circumstances , and that I belive could also be the case for Dele.

 

[spursfan77]

We are talking about a person here who only in the last year worked out how to cook baked beans. I’m sure someone else a lot cleverer than me can go through the symbolism of this with a lot more eloquence, but how can a 24/25 year old man only now, know how to do that?

The answer is obviously too much too soon, other people doing things for him all the time. It’s why I’m uncertain a move abroad would be good for him. Would he grasp the chance to learn more things about life on his own or would he sit in his plush new dwellings bringing the same people over with him and the same thing continuing there? I suspect it would be the latter and that happening away from familiar surroundings won’t be good.

Maybe he needs someone to work on him psychologically, to me he comes across as a teenage boy, struggling to deal with being an adult in one of the most high pressure jobs in sport. That combined with his tough childhood is a lot to deal with for a person. I don’t know, I just think there is a lot more to come from him and Mourinho is trying to unlock it. Passing him on to another club to deal with might not be the best for anyone.

 

[knilly]

I’ve got to say the talk of Dele leaving is just mental.

As a club our MO is finding players who become stars, and we’ve done it. I know his stats aren’t as great over the last couple of seasons, and it feels like it would be a massive mistake to let him go out the door.

We have the stadium, one of the best squads and looking like there’s some real momentum building.

We’d do better with him than without him

 

[sausage]

I think it's very clear, that Jose played him was to give Dele a chance to show if he can play to Jose's standard - he didn't take that chance well. I meant in this case you can't blame Jose for not giving him that chance. Plus I'm sure it's nothing new and Jose's been demanding what he needed from Dele since he's been here and quite simply, time is up.

Jose's message is very clear to everyone, get with the program or get out - and looks like he's walking the talk.
I like that a lot.

It's one of the things I didn't like about the previous regime - there was no 'in or out' line. Poch used to be confusing with never giving lads like Nkoudou or Janssen much time at all, but would chuck Rose or Wanayama back in the XI 5 mins after apparently making them surplus.

I much prefer the hard-line/binary manager approach of "You're not in my plans". I know that it probably seems like there's little to discern between what we did then and what's happening now, but I think it's more obvious that Mourinho has the door open for players who aren't going to execute his plan (with the foot behind ready but not equipped). It's his reputation on the line, so if you don't want a player you have to be clear to all, even if it's in actions not words, that players he doesn't want are not going to be used.

 

[kieranfitchett]

Would rather keep him than see him go but his position is a part of the squad that is relatively well stocked, especially if we move to 4-3-3. I do think though that dele played his best football when we had two wing backs bombing forward, stretching the opposition and giving dele space to play, this is the first time since Walker left and rose regressed that we have that again and could be a game changer for him

 

[brendanb50]

It's one of the things I didn't like about the previous regime - there was no 'in or out' line. Poch used to be confusing with never giving lads like Nkoudou or Janssen much time at all, but would chuck Rose or Wanayama back in the XI 5 mins after apparently making them surplus.

I much prefer the hard-line/binary manager approach of "You're not in my plans". I know that it probably seems like there's little to discern between what we did then and what's happening now, but I think it's more obvious that Mourinho has the door open for players who aren't going to execute his plan (with the foot behind ready but not equipped). It's his reputation on the line, so if you don't want a player you have to be clear to all, even if it's in actions not words, that players he doesn't want are not going to be used.

Agree with this and @rambu's points - For a long time we seemed almost too sentimental about keeping players. A big part of this for me seemed to be our lack of strategy in bringing in replacements. For me, a lot of top clubs, sell top players who don't necessarily fit anymore, or want to perform.

Selling a player like Dele feels like a big call and perhaps giving up a bit soon. FWIW i'd be reluctant to sell in this climate, i'd imagine the club is too - so unless we have the right money coming in and/or a deal lined up for a replacement, i can't see him going (for good at least).

Whilst it all feels like a big deal, if we have the right options lined up - it really isn't. Dele should be worth good money, significantly more than our outlay for him. That money can be used to bring in a more effective/motivated player. I'm a fan of his and if he stays i hope he can push on this season but the time for sentimentality has gone. Ruthless decisions are sometimes needed and an effective replacement would quickly cause most fans to forget.

 

[SSC]

Final nail in the coffin is if he doesnt start tomorrow. You can make a case for the fact we have a big squad with almost zero injuries and winning tomorrow night is a huge milestone for our season both in terms of income and ambition. In a normal world it would be completely rational to keep a couple of players fresh for the EL playoff, its a squad game after all these days to a certain extent.

Jose may well be being deliberate in a lack of support for Dele (explaining he's earmarked for the game) to put the fear in him and get a reaction, inspire him to play for his future but we just dont know.

If however he doesnt even make the bench for a PL, LC or EL game in a week then its a done deal, he's gone.

 

[spursfan77]

Here we go, classic Mourinho welcoming him back into the fold:

 

[philll]

 

[Spurs 1961]

I’ve got to say the talk of Dele leaving is just mental.

As a club our MO is finding players who become stars, and we’ve done it. I know his stats aren’t as great over the last couple of seasons, and it feels like it would be a massive mistake to let him go out the door.

We have the stadium, one of the best squads and looking like there’s some real momentum building.

We’d do better with him than without him

As someone who has against the tide supported Dier and Sanchez as players we must keep as they are way better than most our there I have also always backed Lamela and Dele. Dele is no ordinary player and to lose him from the squad to replace with another who will just be similar to many others out there would be purely a financial decision. As a manager I would want as many quality options as possible

 

[Spursmatty87]

Wonder whether Jose’s testing him or just that dele’s a sellable asset that we need money for other positions.

 

[glacierSpurs]

Wonder whether Jose’s testing him or just that dele’s a sellable asset that we need money for other positions.

I think either way is a win-win situation for us. So good job from Mourinho on that TBH.

 

[Beni]

Jose doing what he ideas with flair players. Hopefully Dele will go to a new level like De Bruyne, Salah etc under a more expansive coach.

Dele is nothing like De Bruyne, Salah in that flair bracket. I really do hope he does make it, here preferably. That is all dependant on Dele, and his motivation to step up to whatever areas he has been asked to work at.

Talented yes, but for me, I'm with Mourinho on this. Dele needs to look at Ndombele who went through tough times, openly criticized, and has taken that all onboard, worked hard and now starting to reap the praise from Mourinho, and fans etc on the vast improvement in his application.

Christ, show Dele a video of Lamela last night. Yeah, Lamela can be frustrating with his end products etc, but I would take his, passion, determined attitude, and place in our squad over anybody else here, who may have some talent, yet expects an easy ride and not open to challenges to better themselves.

 

[Scissors&Tape]

I think all these things are true about Dele:

• He has been an immense part of the ascendency of Spurs the last five years. He is a big-game player who made his mark in the PL and Europe, scoring vital goals and playing with a unique flair that is a joy to watch. There are too many moments to list here, but the first that come to mind are his brace away to RM, his flick to Lucas to take us to the CL final, scoring a brace at Stamford Bridge and the scenes it caused, his insouciant chip over the Arsenal keeper at Anfield. And so on.
• His goals and assists have gone down the last few seasons. This is probably due to some combination of:
  • Injuries
  • Position changes, such as being asked to play a deeper, ball-carrying role after Dembele left
  • The overall team decline the last couple of seasons
  • Being "lazy" at training, according to JM. I'm not sure exactly what that meant. I don't think it meant being not doing his conditioning work, because Dele always seemed well-conditioned when not injured. Perhaps he was a bit jokey, and trained with less intensity than he should have, so he wasn't as sharp as he should have been during matches.
• He is 24 years old.
• He loves playing for Spurs
• He may not have a position in JM's system. Or rather, while he could do a job in the roles occupied by GLC, TN, Lamela, etc., his best position is playing more advanced, and may fit another system better.
• If he leaves, I will be sad. But, I think it will not be because he isn't quality, or is a problem in the clubhouse. I think it will because another team can extract more value out of him than we can at the moment, and we can use that to fund more vital purchases.

 

[The Lion]

The same people writing Dele off now are the same people who 2 months ago were desperate for us to sell N'Dombele and insisted that he'd never come good. Things change. And while Dele has unquestionably struggled at times over the past 18 months, he offers different things that anyone else on the team. Plus, while it has been easier for teams to prevent him from making poacher like runs into the box over the last year and a half, its going to be a lot more difficult to commit to doing that when we are playing Kane, Son, and Bale up front. I can understand the thinking behind a loan if we need the cash, but I would not sell him on the cheap nor be surprised if he plays an important role this year if he stays.

 

[dtxspurs]

The same people writing Dele off now are the same people who 2 months ago were desperate for us to sell N'Dombele and insisted that he'd never come good. Things change. And while Dele has unquestionably struggled at times over the past 18 months, he offers different things that anyone else on the team. Plus, while it has been easier for teams to prevent him from making poacher like runs into the box over the last year and a half, its going to be a lot more difficult to commit to doing that when we are playing Kane, Son, and Bale up front. I can understand the thinking behind a loan if we need the cash, but I would not sell him on the cheap nor be surprised if he plays an important role this year if he stays.

Nah, I’d sell Dele but fully backed Ndombele.

 

[BringBack_leGin]

The same people writing Dele off now are the same people who 2 months ago were desperate for us to sell N'Dombele and insisted that he'd never come good. Things change. And while Dele has unquestionably struggled at times over the past 18 months, he offers different things that anyone else on the team. Plus, while it has been easier for teams to prevent him from making poacher like runs into the box over the last year and a half, its going to be a lot more difficult to commit to doing that when we are playing Kane, Son, and Bale up front. I can understand the thinking behind a loan if we need the cash, but I would not sell him on the cheap nor be surprised if he plays an important role this year if he stays.

Why the need to group people together as ‘team sell’ or ‘team keep’? In both cases I’d suggest the vast majority preferred to see the player turn out around, looked at the only information available, which wasn’t and isn’t exactly plentiful, and drew a conclusion.

 

[Tucker]

The same people writing Dele off now are the same people who 2 months ago were desperate for us to sell N'Dombele and insisted that he'd never come good.

I’d be interested to see some examples of this. As Eric Dier said to Dele, “name names.“

 

[SpursTillIDie1882]

Here we go, classic Mourinho welcoming him back into the fold:

Its quite similar to what he said about Ndombele a couple of weeks back, regarding the 'professionalism'. I hope Dele has had his sulk or the kick up the backside he needed, im a huge fan and would hate to see him leave, we all know he hasnt lost his talent just his attitude and mental side has been main culprit of his poorer form.

 

[ComfortablyNumb]

Its quite similar to what he said about Ndombele a couple of weeks back, regarding the 'professionalism'. I hope Dele has had his sulk or the kick up the backside he needed, im a huge fan and would hate to see him leave, we all know he hasnt lost his talent just his attitude and mental side has been main culprit of his poorer form.

The problem is that for Ndombs the response needs to be ‘get fitter, work harder’ while for Dele it’s ‘be a different footballer’. Not an easy ask.