Lifeline for Dele as Jose calls outcast ‘very professional’
JOSE MOURINHO has described Dele Alli’s attitude as ‘very professional’ amid continued uncertainty over the midfielder’s Tottenham future.
The England international was again left out of the matchday squad for Tuesday’s penalty shoot-out win over Chelsea in the Carabao Cup – the fourth time that has happened this season already.
But, with speculation suggesting the 24-year-old could leave before the transfer window closes next week, Mourinho hinted Alli could yet be involved in tonight’s Europa League qualifying play-off against Maccabi Haifa in north London.
‘I cannot confirm Dele’s playing but I cannot confirm he’s not playing,’ said the Spurs boss (pictured). ‘We have still training sessions, we have still decisions to make.
‘The only thing I can say is he’s being very, very professional. I have only respect for him. He’s being very professional, particularly on Tuesday when the team was preparing for the game and he wasn’t.
‘It would be perfectly acceptable to have a lack of motivation, even a lack of professionalism for this training session but it was exactly the opposite. He trained very hard.
‘He has my respect and the respect of his team-mates so it’s possible he plays against Maccabi.’
Mourinho insisted he maintains faith in the club’s powerbrokers to try to strengthen his squad – even if they do not manage to do so before the October 5 deadline.
The Portuguese is chasing a striker as back-up to Harry Kane as he looks to ease the load on players facing a seventh match in 19 days tonight.
Mourinho added: ‘I am optimistic but more than that the feeling I like is that we are trying everything to do it. You succeed, you don’t succeed is a different story.
‘It’s like a football match: you win, you don’t win. But you give everything and you try everything.
‘In the transfer market, it’s more of the same. I like the fact my club, my transfer structure is trying to do everything to do it for us, to do it for the team, that’s the most important thing. If we succeed, great. I believe so. If we don’t, that’s football.’