‘Dele Alli was a joke in Everton training – the manager couldn’t trust him’
The rise and fall of Dele Alli has been a conundrum played out in plain view – but Alex Iwobi has some answers as to why things haven't worked out at Everton.
After seeing his Tottenham career take a dive, Alli's six-and-a-half-year stay at Spurs came to an end in January 2022 with a move to Goodison Park. A free transfer to ignite Frank Lampard's reign, the 37-times capped England international could cost as much as £40million based on meeting certain criteria.
But the Toffees haven't had to pay even a quarter of that given his lack of progress on Merseyside, joining Turkish club Besiktas on loan last summer only to return early in April. And Iwobi has some idea as to why things haven't worked out.
READ MORE: Dele Alli's career has nosedived – his next move aged 27 is already a final chance
"With him [Dele], he will say it himself, he isn’t a training player," the former Arsenal prospect told FilthyFellas: "Unless it’s a match in training and then you see Dele perform.
"When it comes to training matches, he is a joke. When it comes to drills – he tries, but because he’s slow with it. When it comes to games, he will score and assist or something. It was hard for him to play. If you’re not just doing it in training, and at the time, the manager needed reliable players. He couldn’t really put his trust in him. We all know Dele could have performed."
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That same lack of commitment to training was raised by Jose Mourinho during the filming of Amazon's All or Nothing docuseries. 'The Special One' infamously brought Alli into his office for a candid chat about his potential being wasted if he failed to prepare properly.
Recent years have proved Mourinho right, with Alli plummeting from arguably the Premier League's best prospect to top-flight outcast. The 27-year-old failed to make any impact in the Super Lig and has been dogged by concerns over his discipline (or lack thereof).
Iwobi, who is one month younger than Alli, has been almost omipresent for the Toffees this season and a crucial figure for their survival hopes. Sean Dyche's side host Bournemouth on Sunday in a do-or-die fixture for their top-flight hopes, but Alli won't play any part in the clash.
With 12 months left on his Goodison contract, Alli faces an uncertain summer in regards to his next move and where his short or long-term prospects lie. Everton may struggle to find a buyer for their once-hallowed star regardless of their survival outcome, and Iwobi's comments won't help to improve that stock.
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