Perry Groves has a message for struggling Tottenham star Dele Alli

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Former Arsenal player Perry Groves thinks Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Dele Alli must refocus to avoid becoming ‘another Saido Berahino’.

The attacking midfielder has been out of form for some time at Spurs, with injuries not helping his cause.

This term he has been restricted to just four appearances, but has failed to impress in any of them.

Alli has been criticised by many for taking his eye off the ball with regards to his football, and his misery was compounded on Thursday as Gareth Southgate snubbed him for his latest England squad.

Speaking on talkSPORT, ex-Gunner Groves delivered a warning message for Alli.

He told Jim White: “There’s stuff off the pitch that might be detrimental to how he’s performing.

“He changed his agent in 2017 and he changed it completely. He went to a Sports PR company to take care of his public relations. He went to a Creative Artist agency to take care of the commercial side.

“You don’t want him to be another Saido Berahino. If you’ve got someone in charge of your day-to-day business who’s the same age as you, they haven’t got the experience themselves.

“If I was around Dele Alli now, I would be telling him, for the next year at least, don’t worry about commercial activities, don’t worry about your clothing brand.”

TBR’s view

It’s been quite the fall from grace for Alli at Spurs, but surely his career will not nosedive as Berahino’s has, with the 26-year-old now playing for Belgian club Zulte Waregem after a string of issues in his personal life.

Alli was, at one point, widely considered one of the best young talents in Europe.

He twice won the PFA Young Player of the Year award following his transfer from MK Dons and has massive potential.

Tottenham still have a gem on their hands, but need their ace to put the work in to prevent any further decline.