Inside Dele Alli’s Besiktas disaster as coach gives damning verdict

It was supposed to be the move that finally got Dele Alli’s dwindling career back on track. Instead, the Everton attacking midfielder is now struggling to keep his head above water in his relentless quest to revive his dreams of remaining at the top level.

Make no mistake, there is nothing to celebrate about Alli’s sad demise. He was once considered to be the future of English football and a gift from the gods. His lung-busting third-man runs and remarkable, natural instinct would often snuff out a goal from scratch. Nowadays, you wonder where the next one will come from.

The 26-year-old failed to find the net during his miserable eight-month spell on Merseyside with Everton, while it took him just two games to notch in Turkey with Besiktas in the 3-2 Super Lig triumph at Ankaragücü.

Alli was mobbed at the airport by thousands of Besiktas supporters upon arrival in Istanbul and he was considered to be among their best-ever captures in the transfer market.

When the rumour had initially surfaced, there were question marks in England surrounding the credibility of the Turkey reports because there was a sense Alli would be taking a backwards step.

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“I couldn’t affect the players,” he said. “Now I can easily touch them, but we haven’t touched Dele Alli yet.

“Let’s not discuss Dele Alli as a player, but he is below expectations in terms of efficiency.”

Alli has remained a regular starter for Besiktas this season but is yet to complete 90 minutes for his new club in seven Super Lig appearances.

Gunes’ comments appear to signal an element of frustration regarding Alli’s physical limitations, which are seemingly preventing him from delivering on the field.

He was initially lauded by the Turkish press for his performance on his Besiktas debut in the 3-1 win over Sivasspor but it has been downhill from there.

Nathan Redmond has also struggled in Istanbul alongside Alli – having also joined from Southampton this summer.

It just goes to show that the division is not the best playground for reviving careers, particularly in times of desperation.

Alli, who according to close pal Eric Dier was happy to embrace a change of scenery, had taken his time to ponder the offer before eventually committing to the move but there are now question marks surrounding whether we will ever see him feature in the Premier League again.

Gareth Southgate recently disclosed to FIFA his provisional 55-man squad for the World Cup in Qatar and it goes without saying that Alli will not have fallen under consideration.

Given he was an integral player just four years ago in Russia with the Three Lions, that is a sorry state of affairs.

At 26, Alli should now be approaching his physical prime and peak. He is deserving of some luck along the way. It would be immensely satisfying to see him execute a comeback like no other.