Alli ‘doesn’t need to be sacrificed’, says Mourinho

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR manager Jose Mourinho has said Dele Alli “doesn’t need to be sacrificed” but that he wants a balanced squad and it is difficult to fit all of his players into it.

Alli was left out of Spurs’ 5-2 win against Southampton on Sunday and speculation over the England midfielder’s future has grown since he was substituted at halftime in their 1-0 defeat by Everton in their Premier League opener.

The 24-year-old also missed the trip to Bulgaria for Spurs’ Europa League clash with Lokomotiv Plovdiv last week and British media have linked him with a move to Paris St Germain.

“You could see our team. I cannot start with all of them and I cannot have a bench without defenders or midfielders. In the same way the squad is a puzzle, the bench is also a little puzzle,” said Mourinho.

When asked if he wanted Alli to stay at Spurs, Mourinho said: “I want a balanced squad, that’s what I want. He doesn’t need to be sacrificed, but the squad is a puzzle.”

Mourinho is looking to make his fifth transfer signing of the window soon and is reportedly keen on signing Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard.

Lingard has fallen out of favour under United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after poor form and he was not included in the squad which lost Crystal Palace.

The 27-year-old’s contract expires at the end of the season but United have the option to trigger a 12-month extension.

Despite his drop in form, Mourinho wants to reunite with Lingard, having worked together at Old Trafford.

According to ESPN, the Spurs boss has spoken to chairman Daniel Levy about signing Lingard but the move could be dependent on Alli exiting the club after he has attracted interest from Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid.

Back in the summer of 2018, when he was playing regularly for club and country, Lingard hailed Mourinho for the impact he’d had on his development.

“(Mourinho) has been great with me,” Lingard said. “He’s played a massive part in my development and I can only thank him for that.”

Mourinho however has confirmed Alli will play in tomorrow’s League Cup match away to Leyton Orient but added: “He will play Tuesday (Wed 1am Malaysian time), he needs to show how good he is.” – Reuters/Express Newspapers