Everton's Dele Alli has an "uphill task trying to get into a Sean Dyche team" this season, as the former England international has yet to do anything in Merseyside that "suggests he deserves much of a chance in the team", claims journalist Paul Brown.
Everton transfer news – what's the latest on Dele Alli?
To say Dele's time at Everton has been a disaster would be an understatement.
The idea behind the transfer, if a little bit hopeful, was at least solid. Had it worked out, the former Spurs man would have had a platform to rediscover his form and the Toffees, for their part, would have a player that, at times in his career, has shown near enough world-class talent.
Ultimately though, it hasn't worked, and now Dyche and Co appear stuck with a player that looks like he doesn't want to be there and is still on a hefty £100,000-a-week for another year.
The former Burnley boss did speak positively about Dele in April this year, however, saying:
"I just got a sense that he wants to be back playing football and playing well."
While that may be true, the club have a serious decision about whether they will persist with the 27-year-old as a clause in his contract stipulates that Everton must pay Tottenham Hotspur an additional £10m should he reach 20 appearances. He is currently on 13.
What has Paul Brown said about Dele Alli's potential return to Everton?
Brown was blunt in his assessment of Alli's chances of saving his career whilst at Everton, explaining that he has shown the Toffees no reason to expect a resurgence in form from the former Spurs man.
Speaking to Football FanCast, he said: "Nothing that he's done in an Everton shirt since he's been there suggests that he deserves much of a chance in the team. If he comes back and he's suddenly on fire in training. Great, you know, I'm sure Dyche will look at that and make a decision.
"But I just think that the cold hard financials of it are that it just isn't really isn't in Everton's interest to be playing Dele Alli. He hasn't really given them any calls at the moment to get him in there. So I think he's got an uphill task trying to get into a Sean Dyche team."
How good was Dele Alli at his best?
It has been a dramatic fall from grace for the former MK Dons man, with last year's loan spell to Besiktas being perhaps the lowest point in his career thus far.
It starkly contrasts his first few Premier League seasons for Mauricio Pochettino's Tottenham. The 2015/16 season saw him truly burst onto the scene, starting 28 games for the North London side, scoring ten goals and providing another nine assists. It was around this time the Argentinian hailed him as "quality" and a player with "fantastic potential."
It was the year after, however, when he somehow found another level and threatened to become the best player in the league at certain points. It was this campaign when he scored a ridiculous 18 league goals and produced another seven assists.
It begs the question, could Dele get even close to these numbers again in the right environment? It could be a possibility, but with the performances he's put in over the last few years, Everton might well be better off just cutting ties at this point.
