Dele Alli almost moved to Turkey before Frank Lampard and Everton stepped in – club chairman
Dele Alli was on the verge of a loan move to Turkey before Frank Lampard stepped in and brought him to Everton, according to Adana Dermispor’s chairman.
The former England international was out of favour at Tottenham and looking for an exit on deadline day after finding himself out of Antonio Conte’s plans.
Frank Lampard and Everton stepped in with a permanent deal, which Alli agreed too and the 25-year-old midfielder signed a two-and-a-half-year deal with the Toffees.
However according to Adana Dermispor chairman Murat Sancak, speaking to Milliyet, they had agreed a loan deal with Spurs to sign Dele and the deal was close to completion before Lampard made his move.
“We made a deal with Tottenham for Dele Alli,” he said.
“They were going to give us a loan. Even his older brother came to Turkey. The transfer was almost over. Just then, when Lampard went to Everton, he broke our business.”
Lampard pull
There is a notion among fans and pundits that if you have a name with a big reputation you can attract a certain calibre of player that others can’t, and that seems to be the case here.
Lampard was officially announced as manager on deadline day after being offered the job 72 hours prior on the Friday night.
But he was able to secure the signings of both Dele Alli and Donny Van de Beek because of his reputation as a player. For Everton to have someone that can do that is absolutely huge.
If he is able to help them to survive in the Premier League into next season, the summer could become a really exciting period for the Toffees as their avenues to bolstering the squad are widened.
As for Dele, a Premier League move is far better suited to him than a move to Turkey so it’s not a shock that he changed his mind quickly. But it’s not a shock that the Turkish side aren’t best pleased with his decision either.
In other Everton news, Report shares how Everton will end up paying £40million for Dele Alli after big announcement