Tottenham Hotspur and England ace Dele Alli has been in the news again.
Jamie Redknapp has told The Daily Mail it is important that Tottenham Hotspur and England star Dele Alli doesn’t lose too much of that fiery temperament which makes him a “brilliant player”.
The 21-year-old made headlines for the wrong reasons in England’s 2-1 win over Slovakia this week after television cameras caught him using a one-finger salute at Wembley.
The incident came moments after the Tottenham man was denied a free kick by referee Clement Turpin, though manager Gareth Southgate claimed afterwards that it was a jovial gesture directed at team-mate Kyle Walker and not the French official.
FIFA have indicated that it is “gathering evidence” on the matter and, if found guilty of directing it toward the referee, the Spurs midfielder could be hit with a ban which can potentially affect his playing time at the World Cup in Russia next summer.
It is not the first time that Alli has been at the centre of controversy for something that happened on the field, but ex-Tottenham man Redknapp believes he would be negatively affected as a player if the youngster were to curb that aspect of his game completely.
“Dele is a lovely kid. But he also has a devilish side which has led to moments of madness on the pitch,” he told The Daily Mail. “Although he has to control this part of his game, we must not try to knock it out of him.
“Of course his childish gesture on Monday set a bad example, and on another day it could have seen him sent off. With Dele, there is always the risk that he could cost England at a tournament.
“But that same streak is what drives him to conjure those moments of magic that will win matches for Tottenham and England. It is what makes him such a brilliant player.”
Alli will look to shelve the incident for now and concentrate on Tottenham’s trip to Everton on Saturday afternoon.
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