Mark Lawrenson has said to the BBC that he knows exactly why Jose Mourinho hasn’t been picking Dele Alli, and it’s because Tottenham Hotspur look so much better without him.
Alli has been omitted from numerous Tottenham squads this season and is currently struggling to make the bench, let alone the starting line-up.
The England international, who is on a £100,000-a-week deal (Spotrac), is enduring the toughest time of his career at Spurs to date.
And Lawrenson feels that he is being left out because Tottenham actually look better when he doesn’t play.
“People have been asking why Dele Alli hasn’t been playing or Spurs – but we kind of know now, because at the moment it works without him,” Lawrenson said.
Lawrenson’s theory was backed up last night, as Spurs fell to a 1-0 defeat in Belgium against Antwerp.
Alli was given a rare start in the contest, but he failed to grasp the opportunity.
The attacking midfielder was wasteful in possession and looked well short of his best before being taken off at half-time.
There are now big question marks over how Alli gets back into Tottenham’s team, and it could be a long time before Mourinho picks him to play again.
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