Hugo Lloris wants to see former teammate Dele Alli smile again at Everton
Dele Alli stepped onto the Goodison Park pitch in his Everton kit for the first time in the 3-0 win against Leeds United and his former teammate wants him to do well.
Tottenham Hotspur captain Hugo Lloris played alongside the 25-year-old for the duration of his time at Spurs and enjoyed some great times in North London.
The French international admitted that he wanted Dele to enjoy football again on Merseyside in an interview with Henry Winter in The Times.
“I really like Dele,” Lloris says. “We had some great times at Spurs but also it’s important that players find new challenges.
“Sometimes the new challenge is not at the same place. Dele has to go to another place but the most important thing is I want to see Dele with a smile.
“I wanted Dele to enjoy football and I know it was a bit complicated the last two years for him, a lot of inconsistency in terms of games played, but that’s part of the career.
“It’s never easier for anyone, even the best players in the world have some up and downs.”
Don’t expect instant magic
It’s great to see this kind of message being relayed between two essentially rival teams’ players but it’s completely understandable in the circumstances.
Everton fans will want him to come in and produce those magical moments that saw him earn an England call-up so early into his Premier League career.
But it isn’t going to be that instant success this time around and supporters need to be mindful of that before jumping on his back if (when) he has a bad game.
Alli is the classic example of a player that thrives off confidence and when it is low, as it has been recently, it is very difficult for them to overcome that.
The Goodison Park crowd could have a vital role to play in Alli’s individual success with the club and they need to be patient with him.
The atmosphere was electric against Leeds and that is when Alli is at his best and he can affect the game in ways no other player can.
Get behind him, be loud when he does something well and he will soon be the player we all thought he could be.
In other Everton news, Frank Lampard was blown away by this Toffee in training leading to his involvement against Leeds.