Dele Alli (30), once called England and Tottenham's "genius midfielder" and a close friend of Son Heung-min (34, LAFC), began training at his former club Tottenham.
The global sports outlet The Athletic reported on the 5th (Korean time) that Alli was doing individual training at his former club Tottenham to maintain his condition while looking for a new club. In fact, Alli was seen training with a personal coach starting Wednesday.
Alli has been without a club for six months since mutually terminating his contract with Italian Serie A Como 1907 in September last year. Tottenham reportedly allowed Alli to use the club's training ground for several weeks.
Alli has been without a club for six months since mutually terminating his contract with Italian Serie A Como in September last year. Tottenham reportedly allowed Alli to train for several weeks on the academy pitch at Hotspur Way (Tottenham's training ground).
Alli moved from Milton Keynes Dons to Tottenham in the winter 2015 transfer window. Over the next six and a half seasons he played 269 matches, scoring 67 goals and providing 59 assists, marking his prime.
At Milton Keynes Dons, Alli showed his genius by debuting on the FA Cup stage at the age of 16. He won the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) young player of the year award twice (2015-2016, 2016-2017), and he also played 37 matches for the England national team and appeared at the World Cup.
Under Mauricio Pochettino at Tottenham, he formed the "DESK line" with Christian Eriksen, Son Heung-min and Harry Kane, serving as one pillar of a powerful attack.
But Alli left Tottenham in 2022. He then went on to Everton, Besiktas and Como 1907, but frequent injuries and psychological issues held him back and he fell sharply.
In a 2023 interview with Manchester United legend Gary Neville, Alli confessed shocking facts including an unhappy childhood, alcohol addiction and being a victim of sexual assault, drawing sympathy from many. He missed the entire 2023-2024 season due to injury.
Hoping for a comeback, Alli made a surprise appearance at halftime of the North London derby against Arsenal at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last February to greet fans.
At the time, Alli grabbed a microphone and said, "I want to get back out on the pitch as soon as possible. I hope it won't take too long now," adding, "I hope you missed me as much as I missed you."
He went on to say emotionally, "A lot has happened while we were apart, but I'm back today. I want you to know that you will always be my family."
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