Darren Bent tells Dele Alli to go to the Championship after Everton flop
Darren Bent believes Dele Alli should go down to the Championship to get his confidence back after his move to Everton has fallen flat.
Dele moved to Goodison Park on an initial free transfer in January, in a deal that could go up to £40m in value based on a series of clauses.
But he is yet to start a game for the club and with Everton facing a tough task to avoid relegation, former England international Bent told talkSPORT that the 25-year-old should consider dropping down a division to get his career back on track.
“I thought going to Everton with fresh surroundings would kind of kick him back into life,” he said. “Completely different circumstances and different manager. It just hasn’t happened.
“What might need to happen and there’s no guarantees, and it’s a knock on his pride but, at the end of the day, he’s not playing well, is maybe he needs to go down a division to the Championship and completely rip it up.
“If Everton were to go down, then he could absolutely rip it up as you’d expect him to be the best player in that division, get a bit of confidence and then maybe come back up.
“At the moment he can’t see to get himself going. If they go down, what Premier League club would buy him?
Harsh
Granted it hasn’t worked for Dele at Goodison Park so far, but it hasn’t really worked for anyone in the famous blue shirt this season.
Dele hasn’t been given a fair crack of the whip by Lampard yet at Everton, so it seems unfair to say that he has flopped considering the amount of time he has had on the pitch.
But Lampard sees the players in training every day and there must be a reason why he is opting against bringing him into the side right now, despite the clear struggles and need for a change.
There is still time for Dele to completely turn it around even this season with 12 games to go, but it seems unlikely. His reputation has gone down the drain over the last couple of years, but the Championship is a big step down.
For a player of his quality and considering his age, there is enough there to work with that he deserves a Premier League club to come in for him if Everton do go down, and I’d be shocked if they didn’t.
In other Everton news, ‘Time’s running out’ – Ally McCoist shares major ‘worry’ over Everton ace
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