Former Arsenal forward, Kevin Campbell, reckons that Jose Mourinho’s stint as Tottenham’s manager left Dele Alli so traumatised that the attacking midfielder is still recovering.
Alli’s form has gone downhill in the last three seasons and his confidence took a major battering under Mourinho last season with the former Spurs boss benching and openly criticising him.
The midfielder had hoped for a new life under Nuno Espirito Santo and has had more than enough chances to recapture his previous form, but he is still struggling.
Campbell was discussing Tottenham’s poor form and said that the Spurs fans that he knows feel terrible about the way their club got rolled over by Arsenal last weekend and not just the performance of Alli.
However, he backed the midfielder to come good this season, but says his performance shows he is still feeling the effect of being overlooked for action by Mourinho in the last campaign.
He told Football Insider: “I’ve spoke to a couple of my Spurs mates and they have been distraught with the way the whole team played against Arsenal, not just Alli.
“Yes, Alli has been par for the course. But, you have to remember there is a lot of trauma in him after what Mourinho did to him. He was not getting a look in last season and there was a lot of talk about him leaving.
“To think he is going to hit the ground running this season and everything is going to be OK is just…”