Why Dele Alli’s career could fade if he joins Barcelona from Tottenham

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Barcelona are interested in Tottenham’s Dele Alli but the midfielder is all wrong for what they want.

Dele Alli of Tottenham Hotspur looks on during the Premier League match against Swansea City.

Barcelona have turned their attention to Tottenham Hotspur’s Dele Alli as an alternative to Liverpool midfielder Philippe Coutinho, according to Spanish publication Sport.

The report says that after having failed to sign Coutinho over the summer, the Catalans are instead looking at Alli – a player they believe they could sign for around £134m.

Philippe Coutinho of Liverpool celebrates after scoring his side’s second goal during the Premier League match against Leicester City.

Real Madrid are also thought to be keeping tabs, but it is Barca who are really pushing for recruitment in midfield because as the Daily Mail pointed out, they need a long-term replacement for Andres Iniesta who is out of contract at the end of the season at the age of 34.

As arguably one of the greatest players of all time and someone who has played a key role in recent success at the Camp Nou and for Spain, this is no mean feat, but in Coutinho the logic is there – with good close control and a rare ability to unlock a defence with a deft pass when space is limited.

However, this is not the sort of player Alli is. The England international’s impressive past two seasons with Spurs – which have lead to successive young player of the year awards – has been with the youngster effectively operating as a support striker behind Harry Kane.

Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates scoring his side’s first goal with Dele Alli.

Alli has scored 35 goals in 104 appearances for Tottenham and as Three Lions manager Gareth Southgate recently pointed out to the Telegraph: “Dele’s biggest strengths are arriving in the box, timing his runs, finishing and scoring goals. If he can add consistency into his touch and creativity of pass into that, he’ll be a better player than he already is.”

To succeed at Barcelona the midfield ace would need to be operating behind Luis Suarez, which would mean usurping either Lionel Messi or Ousmane Dembele from their current role – an unlikely prospect which could see the Englishman’s career stall at a critical time in his development.

An undoubtedly talented player with plenty of potential, Alli is not a replacement for Iniesta and moving to Catalonia to do that would be a bad move for all involved.