Everton: Ally McCoist reacts live on talkSPORT to ‘really, really sad’ Dele Alli news as exit tipped
Ally McCoist has called it “really, really sad” after Dele Alli was tipped to leave Everton without playing another game for the club.
The talkSPORT pundit reacted live on air (14 February) after reporter Alex Crook suggested that the Toffees midfielder wouldn’t make a return under Sean Dyche and might need to follow fellow ex-England teammate Jesse Lingard abroad, with Saudi Arabia a possibility.
The Goodison Park boss admitted a day earlier that Dele, 27, still had “a long way to go” following a series of injury set backs [Liverpool Echo, 13 February].
Crook said (8.09am): “Obviously Jesse Lingard couldn’t get a major European club, he’s had to go to South Korea. I think Dele Alli might struggle to get a top Premier League club as well, so he might have to look at going abroad.
“There would be the Saudi Arabia route, I’m sure he would be of interest there given his pedigree as a former England international but wherever he does go I just hope that Dele Alli can get his career back on track because there’s no doubt that, on form, he’s such a talented player.”
McCoist responded: “I just find that whole thing so sad. Lingard as well. I’ve got to say that I find, particularly in Dele Alli’s case, it’s really, really sad.”
Dele Alli tipped for Everton exit and Saudi Arabia move
Clearly, in terms of his football career things haven’t gone to plan for Dele in recent years but after he discussed his personal struggles in the summer when speaking to Gary Neville [Sky Sports, 13 July] there have been more important issues at times.
Injury set backs can’t be anything other than unhappy occurrences but Dyche indicated that the former Tottenham man was in a good place in the circumstances.
It doesn’t look like much of a contribution to the current Everton season is on the cards, and with his current deal set to expire in the summer that does raise the possibility of a departure without another game being played.
Whether an affordable extension can be worked out, and what that might mean with regards to the current terms of the deal with Spurs where the London side are due £10million after another seven outings, remains to be seen, especially after talks were apparently damaged earlier this season.
Everton will have known they were taking a gamble when they acquired Dele two January windows back and on the pitch it largely hasn’t panned out.
Given the choice he would no doubt prefer to be back playing regularly in the Premier League but since some of the situations off the field seem to have improved the entire picture doesn’t necessarily have to be viewed in a negative light.
In other Everton news, £112m news could be set to work in the Toffees’ favour in an upcoming hearing.
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