Paul Merson has told Soccer Saturday on Sky Sports (26/12/20 at 2:25 pm) that Jose Mourinho is trying to get Dele Alli out of Tottenham.
In midweek, the attack-minded midfielder started for Tottenham as they progressed through to the semi-finals of the League Cup.
But in the second-half, he had an exchange with his manager on the touchline, with Mourinho being ‘angry’ at his player for trying a flick the ball in the middle of the park, which in the end, led to Stoke’s equaliser.
Merson was asked whether this is a psychological ploy from Mourinho in trying to get the best out of Alli or whether he’s simply trying to get him out of North London.
“I go with B,” said Merson. “And that would be get him out of the club. If he’s treating him like he is.
I don’t know Dele Alli, but for me, he is one of them players you want to give him a load of confidence. You want to tell him he’s a good player. Tell him what he’s good at.
“I don’t care who you are, you cannot play football like that. You are trying to flick a ball then you are off the pitch if it goes wrong – I think he’s up against it at Tottenham. It’s one of them they are trying to get him out.
“I don’t know whether he will dig his heels in and say ‘I want my money and then I will go’. It could be a game. We just don’t know what’s happened behind the scenes. When he gets back to playing how he’s playing – I don’t see too many teams that wouldn’t take him in the country or in the world.”
Whilst Tanguy Ndombele has managed to fight his way back under Mourinho at Tottenham, it doesn’t seem that’s going to be the case with Alli.
There is still plenty of time for the £100k-a-week star [Spotrac] to prove his critics wrong, but it has a rocky journey for the MK Dons academy product for over two years now.
Alli’s poor form doesn’t just stem from Mourinho, but also under Mauricio Pochettino where he lost that spark and attacking-intent from his game.
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