The trauma, injury struggles and £10m clause behind Dele Alli's Everton spell

Dele Alli has not played in a competitive match since February 26, 2023, when he turned out for Besiktas in a 0-0 draw against Antalyaspor.

That was 414 days ago – and rather than making his long-awaited return on the pitch when Everton play Chelsea in the Premier League on Monday, he will instead be doing so in the studio as part of Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football programme. The 2023/24 season has been one plagued by injury, but that only goes part of the way to explaining what the midfielder has been through.

Back in July, Dele appeared on The Overlap to open up to Gary Neville. It was a heartbreaking and brave interview which gave fans a look at the man behind the footballer and explained why his career has dipped so dramatically since he left Tottenham in January 2022.

Dele had been a wonderkid who lived up to the hype by turning heads with MK Dons aged 16. At his peak under Mauricio Pochettino ’s tutelage, he was a box-to-box midfield goal machine, contributing 67 goals and 61 assists in 269 appearances over seven years for Spurs. He was a key player for England in their run to the 2018 World Cup semi-final. Now aged 28, he is hoping to kickstart his career again.

Dele enjoyed his best years at Spurs under Pochettino, but didn’t fare as well under Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo or Antonio Conte. A fresh start was needed and, in January 2022, he looked to have got one, with Everton agreeing to pay £40million to sign him on around £100,000-a-week.

The decision was Frank Lampard’s and the former midfielder was determined to make it work on Merseyside. “I don't think the story was ever going to be simple with Dele,” Lampard said. “We know the situation he came to us in terms of how the last couple of seasons have looked and the high level he reached for a big period of time at Tottenham. Sometimes you have to work and fight through things and we are in that process with him. I have a big level of communication with him and I explain a lot to him in terms of the demands of training and application and being ready for whenever that moment comes.”

Unfortunately for Dele, that moment is yet to come. He has played just 13 times for Everton in over two years and has been stuck on that number since the final day of the 2021/22 Premier League season, when he played in a 5-1 defeat against Arsenal.

Dele was loaned to Turkish side Besiktas in August 2022 after Everton took the pragmatic approach to cut their losses and avoid paying the £10m they owed Spurs when he reached 20 appearances.

He was given a hero’s welcome upon arrival in Istanbul, but once again it wasn’t to work out, with three goals in 15 appearances the sum of his contribution before injury struck. Dele returned to his parent club Everton and has been there, stuck in limbo ever since.

His signing was viewed by some fans as another misstep from a club who have wasted millions on players in the past five years and contributed to their perilous financial position. But injuries haven’t been the only thing holding Dele back.

Dele decided to lay everything out there last summer when he agreed to speak with his former England coach Gary Neville. In an extremely emotional conversation he opened up on his personal life and off the field struggles.

He spoke about his addiction to sleeping pills which led to a stint in rehab. He spoke about being molested as a six-year-old child. And he admitted that he seriously considered retiring at the age of 24 after falling out of love with the game.

"I decided to go to a modern rehab facility that deals with addiction and mental health and trauma. I felt it was time for me. You can't be told to go there, you have to make the decision yourself," he explained.

"I was in a bad cycle. I was relying on things that were doing me harm. I was waking up every day, winning the fight going into training every day smiling – willing to show I was happy. Inside I was losing the battle and it was time to change. When I was told I needed surgery I could feel the feelings I had when the cycle began.

"So I went there (rehab) for six weeks. Everton were amazing and supportive, I will be grateful to them forever. For them to be so honest and understanding I couldn't ask for anything more during a time I was making the biggest decision of my life – doing something I was scared to do. I'm happy I've done it."

After getting everything off his chest, it looked as though the 2023/24 season was going to be the time of Dele’s comeback, but unfortunately it has not worked out that way. He worked hard to regain match fitness, but has been hindered by more injury problems.

Meanwhile, Everton’s financial problems – which have seen them deducted eight points this season – have not helped his comeback. The Toffees will have to pay Spurs £10m once Dele reaches 20 appearances – a clause which essentially gives them an incentive not to play him.

Everton boss Sean Dyche has been supportive of Dele’s situation, but with his contract set to expire in June, he looks as though he won’t play for Everton again. "We'll see [when he returns], he's got a long way to go and we have deliberately kept him back from it and I agreed that with him just to give him time and give him space, so that's what we're doing. Hopefully he'll be back, we don't know,” Dyche said recently.

"We're giving him the privacy that he needs at this time. He's in a good state, I spoke to him recently and had a good, long conversation with him. Making sense of another injury is difficult but he'll come through that I'm sure."

His presence in the Monday Night Football studio, rather than at Stamford Bridge, is a clear hint that Dele’s time with Everton is as good as over. The hope is that, after a few false dawns, this summer can prove the turning point he’s been searching for.

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