The relationship between Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho and Dele Alli seemed to sour even more last night.
Spurs won 3-1 away to Stoke City to move into the semi-final of the League Cup.
It was a good night for Tottenham but it wasn’t for Alli.
Jordan Thompson equalised for the Championship side on 53 minutes with a goal that directly stemmed from a botched Alli flick.
Mourinho brought the 24-year-old off for Moussa Sissoko on 66 minutes and it wouldn’t be uncommon for the Lilywhites boss to personally acknowledge the outgoing player in the immediate aftermath of a substitution.
But the Portuguese coach refused to leave the dugout to greet Alli, who kicked a water bottle seconds later.
For the rest of the game, Alli, who has been linked with a January move away from Tottenham, cut a disconsolate figure in the stands.
It seems like at the moment, the former MK Dons starlet is trying a little too hard to impress Mourinho and it’s having the opposite effect – it’s frustrating his coach.
He’s undeniably a talented player but the closer we get to January, there’s bound to be increased speculation about a winter exit in some capacity.
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