On Monday, Everton set off for Ireland on a pre-season tour. Former Spurs and England attacking midfielder Dele Alli was among the players in the party.
Welcoming @Everton to Liverpool John Lennon Airport this morning!
The Toffees were making the trip to Ireland as part of their preparations for the new season. 👋🔵 pic.twitter.com/rkDgVRtbOI
— Liverpool John Lennon Airport (@LPL_Airport) July 15, 2024
The 28-year-old is travelling with the Toffees despite his contract with the Merseyside club expiring earlier in the summer.
Everton make an agreement with Tottenham
Technically, on the expiration of his deal with the Toffees, he is a free agent and able to join any club he wishes. However, the situation is more complicated than that.
When Dele Alli joined Everton from Tottenham in January 2022, his transfer fee was structured around add-ons.
This meant that there was no initial transfer fee, but Everton would have to make a substantial payment of £10m when Dele made 20 Premier League appearances, with further payments tied to additional milestones.
For reasons we will discuss later in the article, Dele never reached any of those milestones. That meant Spurs never received any compensation for the player, so Alli signing a new deal with Everton in the summer would have been a slap in the face for the north London club.
Reportedly, despite his free-agent status, if he joined the Toffees this summer, then Spurs would still be due some money.
However, the clubs have now reached an agreement that if Everton offers Alli a new deal this summer, the Toffees will not need to pay a fee for the player.
Instead, should the attacking midfielder sign a new deal, the north London outfit will receive money if Dele signs and is then sold on in the future.
They would also receive some bonuses if he reaches certain milestones. Still, those are believed to be at a lower level than the original agreement, meaning Everton is more likely to play the former England star and not have to worry about the financial implications.
What happened to Dele Alli?
He joined Tottenham in 2015 from his hometown club, MK Dons, and was one of the brightest young prospects in the English game.
In his first two seasons in the Premier League, Dele scored 28 goals and produced 17 assists, establishing himself as one of the stars of the English top flight.
His performances led to links with moves to Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid, while those early days in his career also contributed to Dele picking up 37 caps for England.
He was a player with the world at his feet. However, things start to go downhill for Dele, and he lost his way. He failed to score in 25 Premier League appearances in his last season and a half before joining Everton in January 2022.
Unfortunately, injuries hampered his time on Merseyside, and he made just 13 appearances for the Toffees in his first two seasons with the club. Sandwiched in between was a loan spell at Besiktas.
He failed to make an appearance in season 2023/24, but it was soon revealed that there were bigger issues than just physical injuries hampering Dele. In an emotional interview with Gary Neville on Sky’s Overlap, he revealed his struggles with mental health issues, addiction and abuse as a child.
Dele was very open and honest during the interview. It seems that his past trauma had finally caught up to him, and his issues had a significant effect on the complete collapse of his career.
Considering what he revealed in the interview, it was amazing that he managed to shine so brightly in the first place, considering the amount of emotional baggage he has been carrying around since childhood.
The frank interview laid bare the reality that people often forget: footballers are only human beings. Despite the massive pay packets, money isn’t the solution to all of everybody’s problems. It cannot wipe away emotional damage from an individual’s past.
Could he still revive his career at Everton?
Thankfully, it seems that Dele is now in a better headspace and has sought help to overcome his past trauma.
At 28 years of age, Dele should be in the prime of his career. There is still time for him to revive his career and start enjoying football once again.
Although Dele still needs to earn a contract at Everton in pre-season, Toffees boss Sean Dyche seems to be a big fan of the attacking midfielder. He could have moved anywhere as a free agent, but it appears that the Merseyside club is where he wants to be.
With Everton reportedly still not in the best position financially, signing a number ten with Dele’s experience and ability for no fee would be fantastic for the men from Merseyside.
The only issue is whether the player can ever return to the level needed to play regularly in the Premier League. If anybody can get Dele back to those levels, it is Sean Dyche.
While being considered a rough around-the-edges manager, according to many of his former players, he is an expert at man-management.
Even on a human level, it would be fantastic to see Dele return to the football pitch and succeed again after what he has been through.
He may not be the same player as he was in his early years at Spurs, but if he can get anywhere near the same level, then it would be great news not only for the player himself but also for Everton, which could well benefit massively from a Dele Alli resurgence.
Can Dele Alli revive his career at Everton?