Everton loanee Dele Alli excited by new life at Besiktas says Eric Dier
Dele Alli is “happy” to be “somewhere fresh” after his loan move from Everton to Besiktas in the Turkish Super Lig, according to Eric Dier.
The pair of former Tottenham midfielders spoke after the Toffees loanee’s first game following a late-window move and he has apparently shared only positive news.
There is a buy option in his deal that could mean he never returns to Goodison Park, and after struggling to make an impact at Everton following his arrival in January he has already scored his first goal for his new side, has won both games he’s played in, and appears to be enjoying himself more.
Dier said, via the Liverpool Echo: “I spoke to him after his first game. I think he is happy to have a new challenge, somewhere fresh. I think he is excited by a new experience from a life point of view as well and all I heard were positive things from him.
“He is young. 26. I think we all know in football things can change very quickly for anyone at any time so everything is possible. It is just up to us as individuals.”
Relief
It’s early days but it might simply be a new start away from the at-times stifling scrutiny in England that Dele needed at this stage of his career.
He may never get back into the national team but considering where he was a few years ago it will likely be a relief for him and plenty of observers if he can just get back to playing regularly and being at least moderately successful at it.
Should he do so it seems unlikely that he will return in any meaningful way as a Toffees player considering it is a relatively low fee that Besiktas can sign him for.
Unless there is a major financial shortfall for the Turkish champions then if the 26-year-old be back on Merseyside next summer it is probably not a good sign.
But there is the outside chance that a reasonably encouraging season abroad could end up kickstarting an Everton career that only showed brief flashes of his ability last season.
It’s a start, and the fact that he is having an impact on the field already is an improvement on the slow take off for Everton so attention will increasingly turn to the decision-makers at Besiktas to see what their next move is if it continues.