The rise of Tottenham Hotspur’s Dele Alli has been the point of many discussions this season, though not everyone in the Transfer Tavern appears to be a fan of the young midfielder.
Heralded as the latest name in England’s long-line of potential saviours, Alli has rose to prominence in North London this season with some quality performances and the youngster is a sure bet to make Roy Hodgson’s squad for the summer’s European Championships.
Whilst many here by the bar believe the sky is the limit for the former MK Dons midfielder, some others have raised their concerns as to why they believe Alli will end up being another major disappointment for Tottenham and England fans alike.
Our landlord was understandably intrigued by these views, initially believing the opinions came from bitter rival supporters, but he himself has conceded that these lads are making some good points with these opinions.
We’re sure many of you won’t agree though!
Hit Alli below to see FIVE reasons he’ll be another flop!
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Press expectations
This issue has come around through no fault of Dele Alli’s own but the media hype surrounding the young midfielder has been another example of the pressures thrown onto a player by the English press- and he’s joined a long-list of overhyped players.
In recent years, the likes of Jack Wilshere, Harry Kane, Ross Barkley, Luke Shaw and many others have been touted as the potential saviours for English football that can end decades of hurt. Whilst the praise for all these players is justified, as they’re all incredibly talented, it always comes too soon.
Alli is another example of this, as he’s been held at ridiculous heights following a breakthrough year. Sure, he’s been fantastic this season and deserves plaudits, but you can’t deny the press are getting ahead of themselves again.
Overrated
Building upon the previous point, the media and some sets of supporters have rated Dele Alli at a ridiculous level. There’s no doubt he’s a talented player who’s capable of enjoying a tremendous career but things are getting out of hand.
Alli isn’t going to lead Tottenham to Champions League glory, he’s not going to be the driving force to lead England to World Cup glory and he’s definitely not on the same page as the finest players in world football.
He has the potential but things should be toned down a bit.
Lack of experience
Incredibly, all this praise has come out of his debut season in English football- where he’s yet to play in the creme de la creme of Europe, the Champions League, and the biggest side he’s faced on the international stage was France in a friendly- which came shortly after terrorist attacks in Paris, so we can’t take too much from the French performance on that night.
He’s yet to play in a major tournament for England, though he’ll get his chance this summer, and Champions League football awaits. There’s every chance he could flop at these higher levels, which we’ve seen so many times from promising players in the past.
Temperament issues
In Tottenham’s Europa League draw with Fiorentina last week, Dele Alli was extremely fortunate not to set off for what was an inexcusable kick on an opposition player. Whilst these incidents are unfortunately uncommon in football, it’s still not something to look favourable upon.
Furthermore, deliberately kicking an opponent when they’re on the ground is probably one of the rarest of all the negative incidents we see in football and it raises some serious questions as to what’s going on in the young boys head.
Is the pressure getting to him? Is he overly aggressive? Only time will tell but it’s something to keep an eye on.
Competition for England
Perhaps the most important aspect to Dele Alli’s career is England and, currently, he can be considered as a potential starter for England in the European Championships. However, things can change in the blink of an eye and we can’t take anything for granted.
Especially as England are blessed with a wealth of midfield talent currently, with the likes of Barkley, Wilshere, Jordan Henderson, Michael Carrick and many, many others vying for a place in the middle of the park.
He may have the edge for now but it’s certainly not going to be easy for him.
