Tottenham: Dele Alli at crossroads with football and Spurs
By Aaron Coe
Dele blows up on the scene
Dele started slowly for the club receiving limited minutes, but his potential impact was seen early when he scored a late header against Leicester City in a 1-1 draw on match-day three. It was only Dele’s second appearance and was only 25 minutes long. But in those 25 minutes, Dele did what he became known for doing, he popped up at the right place, at the right time, and delivered.
It was a further seven games before Dele would score again, but his minutes were growing. Not only were his minutes growing, so too was his notoriety as Roy Hodgson would select Dele to the English National Team in October of that year. It was only September 2014 – 13 months prior – that Dele was featuring for John Peacock and the U19 team, such was the rate of his rise.
This selection was not unwarranted, however, it was in December 2015 that Spurs fans really began to see the kind of player Dele could be. Starting with a goal in Spurs 1-1 draw with West Brom on December 5 and over an 11-game stretch Dele scored five goals and assisted five more. Dele finished the 2015-16 campaign with 10 goals and 11 assists across some 46 matches and 3,200 minutes and some raised eyebrows and expectations.
It was the following season in 2016-17 where Dele blew the doors off the expectations and made everyone take notice. Dele put in 18 goals in the league with a further nine assists, totalling 22 goals and 13 assists in all competitions. There was one stretch where Dele had a brace for three straight Premier League matches, culminating with his two goals in a 2-0 victory over London rivals Chelsea.
Key in his contributions across the season, Dele played in 50 matches, logging over 4,000 minutes. Outside of sitting out the League Cup, Dele missed only one match the entire SEASON for Spurs, a 1-1 draw at Arsenal. Besides that, Dele was out there playing about 80 minutes a match and making it happen for the team.
Dele’s value would continue to climb for the next year as, according to transfermrk.com, his peak transfer value was $110 million in December 2018. However, since that incredible season in 2016-17 while Dele continued to score some big goals, his overall contributions have gone down considerably, as have his minutes, appearances, and overall contributions.