Paul Merson has said on Sky Sports that he does not think that there is a connection between Tottenham Hotspur head coach Jose Mourinho and midfielder Dele Alli.
The former Arsenal star, who now works as a pundit for Sky Sports, has said that he has noticed that when Alli comes on as a substitute, the England international midfielder does not listen to what Mourinho is saying and does not look him in the eye.
Merson said on Sky Sports: “When the manager is talking to him before he is coming on, there doesn’t seem that connection there. It seems like he is looking the other way, he is not looking him in the eye and listening to every word, he is sort of looking the other way.”
Strange observation?
To listen to someone, you do not need to always look them in the eye. You can look somewhere else and still pay attention.
While it is true that Alli has only just started to get decent playing time and was left out of many matchday squads earlier in the season, one cannot say that his relationship with Mourinho is not great based on what Merson has observed.
So far this season, Alli has made one start and five substitute appearances in the Premier League, and has scored two goals and provided three assists in six Europa League matches for Tottenham, according to WhoScored.
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