Joey Barton believes that Tottenham Hotspur star Dele Alli should be given the chance to become England captain.
Joey Barton has told The Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast on talkSPORT (broadcast on September 4th; 7:12 am) that he would like to see Dele Alli given the chance to captain England.
Gareth Southgate appears to have not decided on who his full-time captain will be, or even if he plans to stick with a full-time skipper.
Jordan Henderson has worn the armband during this international break, while Harry Kane has received the backing of many supporters, having captained both England and Tottenham in the past.
But Barton has suggested that given how important Alli will be to the team over the coming years, he is the Spurs player who should be given the captaincy role rather than Henderson or Kane.
“You know what I’d like to see Alli captain England,” he told The Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast. “He’s got that bit of edge, gives him that little bit of responsibility. I’d like to see him [become captain], he’s going to become the fulcrum of the national team, just based on that I think he’s the best player in that group. I’d like to see him captain England.”
While Barton believes that Alli should be given the role, there may perhaps be some who feel that giving the Tottenham playmaker the armband is an unnecessary gamble.
Some players seem to thrive in the role while there have been numerous examples where players watch their form drift as they begin to feel the burden of having to be a leader.
And with Alli shining for both Tottenham and England, there will surely be many who would prefer to see the attacking midfielder’s role left exactly as it is.
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