The ending to the Dele Alli story has not yet been written. Only the man himself can do that and the 27-year-old appears determined to make sure it is a successful one as he wants to «prove I'm right because I know how good I can be».
From mercurial teenage talent, Alli's football career has stuttered in recent years. He hit the heights with Tottenham, taking the Premier League by storm after completing a £5million move from MK Dons at the age of 19.
He was the PFA Young Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons in 2015/16 and 2016/17, helping Tottenham challenge for the Premier League title on both occasions. He was a phenomenon, with 19 goal involvements in 15/16 and 27 in 16/17. He even managed 20 goal involvements the next year, before things slowed in 2018/19.
After Mauricio Pochettino was sacked, Alli suffered under Jose Mourinho and then Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte, before being sold to Everton in the January transfer window in 2022.
Things did not get any better for the playmaker, with a loan move to Besiktas last season beset by reports that he had been banished from the squad and went missing from training.
Where did it all go wrong for the star? Well, he has opened up on his life in an emotional and heartbreaking interview with Gary Neville on The Overlap. Alli delved into his traumatic childhood, revealing things he has never spoken about to anyone before, and about an addiction to sleeping tablets, which has hampered his career.
Former Manchester United and now Sky Sports pundit Neville asked firstly 'Are you OK' with his first question on The Overlap podcast. Alli responded: «I think so, it's a question I've definitely been asked a lot, but this is the first time in a long time I can say yeah and mean
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