Glenn Hoddle says that Tottenham Hotspur’s Dele Alli is a better goalscorer than Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Adam Lallana, Jack Wilshere and Jesse Lingard.
Lallana is a very good attacking midfielder, while Oxlade-Chamberlain has progressed well under Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp since his move from Arsenal in the summer of 2017 for a transfer fee reported by The Guardian to be worth £40 million.
The Tottenham legend has also claimed that the Spurs midfielder is a better goalscorer than Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere and Manchester United star Jesse Lingard, who can operate as an attacking midfielder or as a winger.
Hoddle made the comparisons while discussing the prospect of Alli regaining his place in the England starting lineup in time for the 2018 World Cup finals in Russia in the summer of 2018.
“I know he often plays as a No 10 for Spurs because of his relationship with Harry Kane, but the way Gareth Southgate seems to be setting up, I think he’d be best suited as one of three midfielders in a 3-5-2,” Hoddle wrote about Alli in The Daily Mail. “It will take a certain amount of adjusting his game but won’t require anything he can’t do.
“And if you look at his rivals for the position — Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Adam Lallana, Jack Wilshere — he is a better goalscorer than any of them. An in-form Dele Alli is probably even better than Jesse Lingard in that regard.”
| Team | Season | Passing Accuracy | Tackles Won | Interceptions Won | Ball Recovery | Touches | Shots on Target | Goal Assists | Goals | Appearances | Mins Played | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jesse Lingard | Man Utd | 2016-2017 | 88% | 13 | 14 | 56 | 997 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 25 | 1,366 |
| Jesse Lingard | Man Utd | 2017-2018 | 87% | 18 | 8 | 65 | 1,045 | 19 | 4 | 8 | 27 | 1,471 |
| Jack Wilshere | Arsenal | 2017-2018 | 86% | 9 | 8 | 88 | 893 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 1,013 |
| Adam Lallana | Liverpool | 2017-2018 | 86% | 1 | 1 | 15 | 258 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 219 |
| Jesse Lingard | Man Utd | 2015-2016 | 85% | 28 | 15 | 92 | 1,049 | 13 | 1 | 4 | 25 | 1,635 |
| Jack Wilshere | Arsenal | 2015-2016 | 84% | 2 | 2 | 12 | 114 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 141 |
| Adam Lallana | Liverpool | 2016-2017 | 84% | 34 | 20 | 155 | 1,869 | 20 | 7 | 8 | 31 | 2,346 |
| Jack Wilshere | Bournemouth / Arsenal | 2016-2017 | 84% | 18 | 13 | 144 | 1,443 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 29 | 1,949 |
| Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain | Arsenal / Liverpool | 2017-2018 | 83% | 21 | 26 | 105 | 1,209 | 17 | 5 | 3 | 32 | 1,590 |
| Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain | Arsenal | 2015-2016 | 82% | 17 | 12 | 58 | 716 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 22 | 919 |
| Adam Lallana | Liverpool | 2015-2016 | 82% | 47 | 20 | 150 | 1,501 | 15 | 6 | 4 | 30 | 2,110 |
| Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain | Arsenal | 2016-2017 | 82% | 30 | 11 | 100 | 1,223 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 29 | 1,562 |
| Dele Alli | Tottenham | 2016-2017 | 81% | 36 | 11 | 165 | 2,029 | 44 | 7 | 18 | 37 | 3,043 |
| Dele Alli | Tottenham | 2017-2018 | 78% | 24 | 18 | 144 | 1,625 | 12 | 9 | 6 | 29 | 2,452 |
| Dele Alli | Tottenham | 2015-2016 | 76% | 53 | 61 | 175 | 1,765 | 28 | 9 | 10 | 33 | 2,479 |
Time to step up
Alli is a very good and promising young midfielder, and it is time for the 21-year-old to step up.
The England international has been inconsistent this season, but there is still time for him to get better this season.
What the youngster needs to do is do the simple things right on the pitch, and he will eventually regain the rhythm that he showed last season.
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