Dele Alli's Everton career remains up in the air after his contract expired

Peter Lynch

Wed 23 August 2023 15:10, UK

Everton need to get midfielder Dele Alli fit in order to bring some creativity to the team, according to pundit Ledley King.

The former Tottenham Hotspur defender believes the lack of creativity is a “big problem” for Toffees manager Sean Dyche.

Everton and Burnley are the only two clubs yet to score in the Premier League this season, with the latter only playing one match so far.

“I look at their midfield, with Idrissa Gueue, Amadou Onana and Abdoulaye Doucoure in the central areas, I don’t see goals in those three. I don’t see too much creativity, and that’s a big problem,” King said on the Football Daily podcast (22 August).

“They’ve just got to somehow get Dele Alli fit, he’s someone who can get goals, whether he plays behind the striker or not.

“They’ve just got to find a way to create enough chances and score enough goals to keep them in the league, because I think that defence has proven that it’s not reliable enough.”

Not good enough

Everton simply haven’t been good enough for a few years now, with the Toffees involved in a Premier League relegation battle for the past two seasons.

Last time out, it was midfielder Doucoure who helped them stay in the division with his winner against Bournemouth in May.

But the Merseyside outfit cannot be relying on just one or two players here and there for goals and creativity this season. Every player must chip in and do their part, which hasn’t been the case under Dyche so far this time around.

It is, of course, very early stages, but Everton already sit rock bottom of the table thanks to their defeats against Fulham and Aston Villa.

Those losses will be worrying in themselves, but Dyche has been handed another headache given how his players are yet to find the back of the net.

Whether or not Alli can even get fully fit remains up in the air, never mind if he can be the player to help save them from relegation.

In other Everton news, one pundit has shared a “bigger picture” verdict amid a Toffees transfer development.