Dele Alli is an Everton player. Alli will join the Merseyside on a permanent deal after leaving Tottenham.
Frank Lampard built his career as a player by scoring goals from midfield.
For a while, Dele Alli fit as the next Frank Lampard type in England. He was a creative, intelligent attacking player who could create from deep, arrive late in the box or score screamers from outside the box. But it's been a long time since those days.
Alli has languished on the Tottenham bench for a long time now. He played sparingly under recent managers, not reaching 30 total appearances in a season since 2018. Alli played 15 games in 2020-21 and finished the season with just one assist. He played 10 games for Tottenham this season and scored just one goal.
Dele Alli to Everton, done deal and here we go! Full agreement reached with Tottenham, permanent move subject to medical in the next few hours. It’s done. 🔵🤝 #EFC
Frank Lampard wanted Dele after van de Beek - official announcement later today. #THFC pic.twitter.com/05QgWTeSvS
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 31, 2022
His productivity has dropped off dramatically and at times his effort has been questioned.
A lack of productivity and effort has plagued Everton in recent times. Frank Lampard is hoping the opportunities he's giving to Donny van de Beek and Alli will rejuvenate them as players. But it's intriguing that he signed both players rather than just one of them.
Alli only plays higher upfield. He can move outside if you need him to, but he likely won't fit in the Tottenham team as an outside attacker or winger. He needs to be central behind the lead striker (Dominic Calvert-Lewin most likely). That means van de Beek will be playing a deeper role, similar to the one he struggled in with Manchester United.
Maybe with more games, van de Beek can prove to be a ball-control central midfielder who links the ball from back to front and sets Alli up to be the creative influence he once was. Alli is still just 25 years of age, so there's a chance he can turn his career around at Everton.
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
