Dele Alli has joined Everton on a two-and-a-half-year deal as he looks to reignite his stalling career at Goodison Park; the potential £40m transfer fee will be structured based on performance-related add-ons; Alli leaves Tottenham after seven years at the club
Tuesday 1 February 2022 09:28, UK
Dele Alli has joined Everton permanently from Tottenham on Deadline Day in a deal that could cost up to £40million.
Alli has joined the Toffees on a two-and-a-half-year deal as he looks to reignite his stalling career at Goodison Park.
The potential £40m transfer fee will be structured based on performance-related add-ons.
New Everton manager Frank Lampard, who was only officially appointed boss on Monday afternoon, was a key factor in convincing the 25-year-old to join the club.
It comes after Lampard also persuaded midfielder Donny van de Beek to join on loan from Manchester United for the rest of the season.
Alli could potentially make his Everton debut in the Premier League fixture at Newcastle United next Tuesday.
In an exclusive interview with Sky Sports News after his move to Everton was confirmed late on Deadline Day, Alli spoke of Lampard's influence in convincing him to move to Merseyside, where he hopes he can finally rekindle his joy for football after a difficult end to his time at Spurs.
"I'm very excited, a bit tired from the long day but we got there in the end. I'm delighted," Alli said.
"I've had a few good conversations with him [Lampard] already, he's a player I admired through his whole career watching him. I'm pleased to work with him, it's very exciting, I'm sure we can do great things together.
"I just want to be happy playing football. Working with Lampard, and the great players Everton have got, is a great opportunity for me to do that. I'm excited to go there, show the fans what I can do, and help the club as much as I can."
Alli leaves Tottenham after seven years at the club after he joined from MK Dons in February 2015 for just £5m.
He made 269 appearances in all competitions for Spurs and scored 67 goals, including 51 in the Premier League.
The England midfielder won back-to-back PFA Young Player of the Year awards for the 2015/16 and 2016/17 seasons and also helped Spurs to reach their first Champions League final in 2019.
But Alli has failed to continue that success in recent seasons with his career stagnating in north London.
He has struggled to make an impact this campaign under new Spurs head coach Antonio Conte, having made just six appearances in all competitions since the Italian arrived in November.
Sky Sports News chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol on The Transfer Show:
"We're told Frank Lampard was key in this deal getting done. He spoke to the player, and Alli feels he can get the best out of him.
"Since Mauricio Pochettino left Spurs he's had a difficult relationship with the managers there, Mourinho and Conte, and needs a fresh start.
"He's been at Spurs for a long time now, I know people think he's lost his way now but he's someone who was PFA Young Player of the Year twice. If anyone can get the best out of him, you'd think it would be someone like Frank Lampard."
Sky Sports' Ben Grounds:
More than two years ago in October 2019, Gary Neville gave this assessment of Dele Alli after an anonymous display in a 2-1 away defeat against Liverpool.
"He had a desire to get in the box. He was always nasty, playing on the edge, getting sent off once or twice, but today he was non-existent. He's been like that for a year or two."
More than two years have passed since then, and we are still yet to see Alli return to the sort of form that took him to back-to-back PFA young player of the year awards.
Still only 25, Alli has now worked under several managers at Spurs since breaking into the first team under Mauricio Pochettino and yet he has failed to fully convince Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte he is worth giving a central role.
It is hard to pinpoint his fall from grace, but Frank Lampard could be the ideal manager to turn a lost talent back into star quality. The new Everton boss would urge him to get back to basics, but feeling loved is what Alli needs.
His time at Tottenham truly ought to have come to an end some time ago, but a fresh start at Everton, a side he has often performed well against, provides him with an opportunity to fulfil his undoubted talent.
It is an arrangement that suits all parties, with Tottenham now able to build a squad in Conte's image, while Alli's ability to cover distance and play with intensity is something Everton have needed to inject into their game this season.
A loan deal might have not led anywhere, pushing the need for a change along, but with Everton already having used up their two domestic loan slots, a permanent deal brings closure for Alli at Spurs. Lampard and Everton will hope he can now rediscover his old swagger on Merseyside.
Sky Sports' Adam Bate:
As Dele Alli's Tottenham career reaches a conclusion that few could have anticipated when he won back-to-back PFA young player of the year awards, much of the focus will be on the mental side of the game. The need to refocus will be at the forefront of the discussion.
The words of Jose Mourinho in conversation with Alli in a much-publicised documentary appear prescient. "I think you will regret it if you do not reach what you can reach." But it is worth noting that there are tactical questions to address here as well as mental ones.
The hope is that Frank Lampard and Everton appreciate what is required to bring out the best in Alli. His impact came as a support striker making late runs into the penalty box. He was combative and cute so could play deeper but that was not his main strength.
Over time, Alli has been deployed further and further away from the opposition goal, even used in a midfield two, where the responsibilities in the build-up play put greater emphasis on other aspects of his game. It has become hard to remember what made him so good.
Whether he is able to recapture that remains to be seen. At 25, there is still time. The attitude will need to be right, the desire to prove people wrong essential. But his only chance of doing that will be if Lampard has a clear vision of how to utilise him.
Follow every Everton game in the Premier League this season with our live blogs on the Sky Sports website and app, and watch match highlights for free shortly after full-time.
Want the Everton latest? Bookmark our Everton news page, check out Everton's fixtures and Everton's latest results, watch Everton goals and video, keep track of the Premier League table and see which Everton games are coming up live on Sky Sports.
Get all this and more - including notifications sent straight to your phone - by downloading the Sky Sports Scores app and setting Everton as your favourite team.
Hear the best Premier League reaction and expert analysis with the Essential Football and Gary Neville podcasts, keep up-to-date with our dedicated Transfer Centre, follow the Sky Sports social accounts on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube, and find out how to get Sky Sports.
