By Anthony Onifade

30th Mar, 2023 | 8:10pm

Mad Dele Alli reaction emerges on talkSPORT as Andy Goldstein and Darren Bent react

TalkSPORT pundits Darren Bent and Andy Goldstein were left gobsmacked live on air by the sudden career decline of Everton loanee Dele Alli, referring to his drop-off at 26 years old as “mad”.

The Toffees midfielder is currently on loan at Super Lig club Besiktas but has been told he has no future in Turkey, and has been left out of their match-day squad in recent weeks.

It is well-known that Besiktas have no plans to permanently sign the 26-year-old, with the midfielder’s future at Everton also increasingly uncertain with The Telegraph chief correspondent Jason Burt claiming that Major League Soccer is the “only league” that the Everton loanee can go to.

And speaking live on talkSPORT [30 March, 16:12], Bent and Goldstein were left amazed at how Alli’s career has tailed off while only being 26 years of age.

“He’s still only 26 is Dele Alli,” Goldstein said.

While Bent replied: “It’s mad that.”

“Can anyone put their finger on when a player’s form just falls off a cliff, if you sat him down and said listen whatever you tell me will never go out this room, no one will ever knows, do you think he would be able to pinpoint a reason why?” Goldstein continued.

Bent tried his best to explain, but in the end he was left at a crossroads: “It’s such a difficult one because you’re right, pinpointing exactly where it went wrong, because even with Dele Alli, some of the highs he reached, some of the seasons he had especially when he first burst on the scene at Tottenham, scoring that wondergoal on the volley against Crystal Palace, that was in 2015/16 season.

“Since that 17/18 season, his goals, his assists, all his productiveness has dried up.”

Crazy decline

There are only so many factors that Alli’s decline in recent years can be attributed to.

Whether it’s laziness, lack of love for the game petering out, or a lack of motivation and confidence, the former Tottenham Hotspur man just has not been himself over the past few years and it’s a shame to see such an amazing talent go to waste.

When the 26-year-old moved to Everton under Frank Lampard, many thought that would have been the move to reignite his fire again, but it just hasn’t happened.

Alli is quickly becoming one of the most mentioned names in and around Goodison Park, and yet he’s barely played for the club. Many players have burst onto the scene at a young age like Alli, but not many have endured as dramatic a downfall as the former England international.

It’s clear the midfielder needs a fresh start somewhere, and considering his huge drop-off, it’s unlikely a Premier League club will be willing to take him on again. His hefty wage package off the books at Goodison will be a huge relief for the Everton board.