Former Everton centre-half Alan Stubbs has had his say on the strange case of Dele, insisting that the one-time England international may have fallen out of love with football.
The attacker, who showed potential as a prodigious, young talent, has seen his career stall in recent seasons, and joined Everton from Spurs in February 2022.
The switch to Goodison Park no doubt offered Dele an opportunity to revive a career seemingly on pause, though the two-time PFA Young Player of the Year award winner never really got going in Frank Lampard’s side, failing to register a goal or an assist for Everton in 13 appearances.
“Dele doesn’t have a future at Everton,” Stubbs opined. “It’s a strange situation because I don’t think I can ever remember a player falling off a cliff as quickly as Alli has. I don’t know what’s gone on in his private life but to go from being an England international to not being anywhere near that level is really bizarre. I personally feel sorry for him because something has gone drastically wrong. He’s still got plenty of years left in him, but he looks like he’s lost the love for football.”
Dele’s loan switch to Turkish Super Lig side Besiktas in August 2022 saw the 26-year-old arrive in Istanbul to a hero’s welcome, though it was a move that exemplified the fall from grace for the ex-Spurs player. Scoring once in just seven league appearances for the club, Alli has not finished 90 minutes in his last five consecutive games.
Ultimately, Stubbs’ sentiment is one seemingly echoed by Besiktas boss Senol Gunes, insisting that he expected more from the midfielder.
“I couldn’t affect the players,” Gunes said. “Now I can easily touch them, but we haven’t touched Dele Alli yet. Let’s not discuss Dele Alli as a player, but he is below expectations in terms of efficiency.”
Dele is set to return to Goodison Park from his season-long loan at Besiktas at the end of the 2022/23 campaign