Dele Alli's footballing career has been given a potential boost despite his contract with Como being terminated.
The 29-year-old moved to the Serie A side on a free transfer in January, signing an 18-month deal as he sought to revitalise his stuttering career. However, the former Tottenham midfielder had a disastrous debut when he was sent off less than ten minutes after coming on as a substitute during Cesc Fabregas' team's 2-1 defeat to AC Milan at the San Siro in March.
Dele was subsequently frozen out at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia before his contract was mutually terminated last week. The ex-England star's career has plummeted in recent years following unsuccessful spells at Everton, Besiktas, and most recently, Como.
However, three Championship sides, including Wrexham, Birmingham City, and West Brom, are reportedly ready to offer him a new beginning. The idea of Dele descending into the second tier would once have been unimaginable following his meteoric rise to fame with Spurs at the start of his career.
He was lauded as one of Europe's brightest young talents at the time, leaving fans puzzled over his decline. Dele's former Tottenham colleague Kieran Trippier has previously offered his perspective on what sparked the midfielder's decline.
Trippier, who featured alongside Dele at Spurs before his switch to Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2019, reckons Mauricio Pochettino's exit from the club that November proved pivotal. The right-back addressed Dele's difficulties whilst appearing on the Undr The Cosh podcast in 2022 and was eager to highlight Pochettino's considerable impact.
"Poch was brilliant with Dele to be fair and Dele was flying at Tottenham," Trippier said. "It's one of those where I left and went to Atletico Madrid... but even during my last season there he was flying. He's a great lad, but Poch was brilliant with him."
Dele has previously spoken candidly about how injuries, addiction and mental health issues have also played a part in his career decline. He reached the peak of his powers under Pochettino following his transfer to Tottenham from boyhood club MK Dons in the summer of 2015.
Success came instantly, with the midfielder finding the net 32 times across his opening two campaigns at White Hart Lane. Dele's exceptional displays under Pochettino saw him claim back-to-back PFA Young Player of the Year honours in 2016 and 2017, though his performances nosedived after the Argentine's sacking in November 2019.
Pochettino's replacement, Jose Mourinho, tried to resurrect Dele's career, but without success. His attempts to motivate the player were captured in the documentary series Tottenham: All or Nothing.
During one memorable scene, Mourinho told Dele: "I am 56 now, and yesterday, yesterday, I was 20. In no time. Time flies. One day, I think you will regret if you don't reach what you can reach.
"I'm not expecting you to be the man of the match every game, I'm not expecting you to score goals every game. I want to tell you that I think you will regret. You should demand more from you. Not me demanding more from you. Not me. Nobody. You. I think you should demand more from you."
Mourinho's plea fell on deaf ears as Dele netted just once in the Premier League between August 2020 and January 2022 before Spurs allowed him to depart for Everton without a transfer fee. Nevertheless, his television exposure could prove beneficial should he make the switch to Wrexham.
The Welsh outfit, under the ownership of Hollywood A-listers Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac, have transformed into a worldwide sensation since the pair acquired the club in 2021. Their remarkable journey has been propelled significantly by the Welcome to Wrexham documentary series on Disney+, which chronicles their meteoric rise from the National League to the Championship.
Birmingham, who have NFL icon Tom Brady as a minority stakeholder, also launched their own documentary series on Amazon Prime during the summer. West Brom could represent Dele's ideal destination, however, should he prefer to stay away from the spotlight and concentrate purely on reviving his playing career.