Dele Alli’s resurrection for some is complete. For me, thumping minor sides is good for the soul and all that, but it hardly tells you anything insightful about yourself, indeed it’s when you don’t hammer someone occasionally that doubts begin to creep in. Dele Alli’s reunion with Pochettino I am told was closer than many of us thought – that was until the vulgarities of money were brought into play.
A source close to the club tells me that Daniel Levy’s valuation of the soon-to-be 25-year-old was an incredible £80million. Even Dele’most devoted fanboys would surely struggle to keep a straight face upon hearing that number. Whatever potential or new-found form Dele might have discovered in his last few games, it is ambitious to believe that anyone would stump up so much for the boy. The inability to push sufficiently in training for Mourinho’s tastes to one side, the real concern is that even if the sport weren’t currently knee-deep in an economic crisis, could Dele ever command such a fee?
Even at his alleged best under Pochettino, Dele was an incomplete player. It didn’t take Gareth Southgate too long to work out that there were better options available to him to wear the England shirt.
PSG offered £30million I am advised. Perhaps by the end of the season, we will have a better idea as to whose valuation was closer to the mark.
