Troy Deeney admits surprise over Dele Alli’s situation at Tottenham

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Troy Deeney has told talkSPORT (broadcast on 26/10; 9:36) that he is surprised to see Dele Alli out of the picture at Tottenham Hotspur, and insisted it is going to be very hard for the England international to get back into Jose Mourinho’s plans.

Dele has seemingly fallen to the periphery of the Spurs squad in recent times. He has not started a Premier League game since the opening day of the campaign, and only featured in one other top flight clash.

His lack of involvement led to doubts over his Tottenham future. As reported by the Guardian, he was offered to Paris Saint-Germain while the transfer window was open.

Ultimately however, he stayed in North London. But he seemingly remains on the fringes of the squad.

And Deeney – who, of course, was linked with a potential move to Tottenham in the summer (via Daily Mail) – suggested that he is being challenged by Mourinho. He did however, hint that he could see it prove extremely tough for Dele to regain a key role.

‘Show me what you’ve got’

“It does surprise me that he’s been left out. But then, I think there’s some things that happen in football clubs, when a player’s linked to leave, it’s never just one way. There’s a reason why. I do believe that Dele Alli has a future,” he told talkSPORT (26/10; 9:36).

“He certainly adds to Tottenham, even if he’s on their bench. I think Jose’s laying down the gauntlet and saying, ‘do you want to work for it? Show me what you’ve got’.

“Very hard, because he’s going to have to do it daily,” he added, when asked how difficult it will be for Dele to win his place back. “He’s also going to have to have uncomfortable conversations. He’s going to have to ask the manager what’s required of him on a daily basis.”

It is difficult to predict how this situation will conclude. When Dele – who earns £100,000-a-week, according to Spotrac – is getting minutes, he does not appear to be doing enough to really prove a point to Mourinho.

But if Mourinho succeeds in getting the best out of the 24-year-old by pushing him at this time, it could ultimately prove a masterstroke from the Tottenham boss.