Dele Alli has agreed a £35,000-a-week contract at Besiktas as the Everton benchwarmer closes in on a move away from the Premier League outfit, as reported by Turkish publication Sabah.
This always felt like a transfer that was going to go one of two ways.
Either one of English football’s most naturally-talented footballers would jump start his stalling career under the stewardship of Frank Lampard and become a cult hero on the blue side of the Merseyside. Or, Alli’s malaise would continue, another Everton signing that promised so much but delivered next-to nothing.
With reports suggesting that the England international is on his way to Turkey – after seven months and one Premier League start at The Toffees – it’s certainly more the latter than the former.
Dele Alli leaving Everton for Besiktas in Turkey
According to The Guardian, Everton will not pose much of a fight; Besiktas offering Alli the chance to escape the scrutiny of the Premier League media. Lampard, The Mirror adds, is looking to avoid triggering a clause which requires Everton to pay former employers Tottenham £10 million once Alli has made his 20th appearance for the Merseyside outfit.
Alli’s 11th outing in Everton colours – a nine minute cameo against Aston Villa on Saturday – could also be his last.
Because, according to Sabah, Alli and Besiktas have shaken hands on a £35,000-a-week contract. The 26-year-old will reportedly join on loan with an option-to-buy. One that, if Besiktas take up, will see Alli sign a three-year permanent contract at the 2021 Super Lig champions.
And it certainly feels fitting that Alli’s most memorable moment in Everton colours may be that remarkable miss in a 4-0 pre-season defeat to Minnesota United. A missed opportunity, in more ways than one.
Goodbye already
“It is possible to work with him on being a goalscorer,” Lampard said just a fortnight ago. “He has an instinct to get in goalscoring positions. And we need to find ways to get him in those positions and probably give him confidence back as well. That’s the reason I brought him to the club.
“At the same time, we also knew if we could get him in the sweet spot of where he was then he would be a big asset for us.
“It’s a clean slate on many levels for everybody this season and for Dele for sure. He’s worked hard in pre-season. And he’ll be a very useful player for us if he keeps applying himself in the right way.”
Comments that, with the benefit of hindsight, have aged about as well as Dele Alli himself.
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