Ledley King claims Dele Alli is badly missing player Tottenham sold for just £17m last year

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Ledley King has explained to Sky Sports that he thinks that Dele Alli is missing Christian Eriksen badly at Tottenham Hotspur.

Alli’s struggles

Alli struggled for any game time last season under Jose Mourinho, but he has been a key player under Nuno so far.

Unfortunately for the Tottenham man, he is yet to really find his feet this season though.

Alli has been stationed in a deeper midfield role, which hasn’t brought the best out of him.

The 25-year-old has often been used in central midfield, where his main strengths aren’t always visible.

Alli formed a reputation in his younger years as a goalscoring midfielder, who was excellent at timing runs from deep and getting into the box.

But Tottenham no longer have a playmaker who can pick apart opposition defences since the sale of Eriksen.

And King feels that Alli is missing the Danish creator more than most in the Spurs side.

“I think Christian Eriksen was a big part of that, and I think Dele Alli misses that and that type of delivery,” he said.

“That’s what Harry is now trying to do at times.

“He didn’t play much last season and if you ask Dele he will say a lot of that was down to himself.

“He went away in the summer, worked hard and wanted to come back and impress but his position has changed and we’re still trying to find a suitable role for him in the team.”

Eriksen sold

Eriksen was sold by Tottenham when Jose Mourinho was in charge back at the start of 2020.

In fairness to Spurs they were forced into the sale, as Eriksen only had months left on his contract at the time he did depart, meaning they only got £17 million for him (BBC Sport).

But Spurs have been left weakened as an attacking force since Eriksen’s influence in their team dipped.

Tottenham have now scored just four goals all term, and that is a huge concern for Nuno, who is already facing big questions over his suitability for the role in North London.