‘QUIET AND SAD’ ALLI’S FUTURE UP IN THE AIR
JOSE MOURINHO says Dele Alli was ‘quiet and sad’ after his half-time substitution against Everton as speculation grows the midfielder is going to leave Tottenham.
Alli was taken off at the break as Spurs lost 1-0 in their Premier League opener on Sunday and is believed to be one of eight first-team players left out of the squad for tonight’s Europa League second qualifying round tie with Lokomotiv Plovdiv in Bulgaria.
With Spurs reportedly in talks to resign Gareth Bale from Real Madrid, it has been suggested Alli could move in the opposite direction as part of the deal. However, as Spurs prepare to begin their European campaign, boss Mourinho praised the 24-year-old’s reaction to the weekend’s events.
‘Dele’s a very polite guy, very calm, I think he’s a bit introspective,’ he said. ‘When you think a lot about things, so I think the way he reacted was Dele.
‘(He) was quiet, sad, but in the end, after the game, he was just one of many. But again, I repeat, he’s a good boy. Very, very polite and I never saw from him, in here, with myself, with the others, a strong reaction. A good boy, a really good boy.
‘That is my job, to make these decisions and to try the best for the team when
I am not happy with the performance. There is no story. It is just that.’
Alli’s team-mate Eric Dier – himself replaced after just half an hour in Mourinho’s first home match in charge against Olympiakos in November – believes his close friend took the decision in his stride.
‘Dele’s fine. We’re big boys, football is not a nice world,’ he said. ‘Dele’s not the first person to be taken off at halftime and I don’t think it’s the first he has been taken off at half-time, and I don’t think it will be the last. The same goes for all of us. Knowing Dele’s mentality, he’ll work even harder.’
Dier also hit out at a schedule that has Spurs playing five games, in league, Carabao Cup and in Europe, in
15 days at the start of what will be a cramped season.
‘That schedule isn’t showing any care for players’ physical welfare. It’s (about) common sense,’ said the centre-back.
That is my job, to make these decisions. There is no story. It is just that