Dele Alli was once one of the most talented English footballers on the planet. Bursting onto the scene as a teenager with Tottenham Hotspur, he won the PFA Young Player of the Year award in back-to-back seasons in 2015/16 and 2016/17.
It wasn't long, however, before his career hit a bit of a wall. Having fallen out of favour at Spurs, the midfielder joined Everton in 2022, but failed to ever find any real form with the Toffees. He then spent a spell on loan at Besiktas, but again did not deliver his best.
Leaving Goodison Park in 2024, Dele eventually found a new club in 2025. Over in Italy, he signed for Como, got sent off on his debut and was then informed he would not be getting a new contract as he was released in September 2025.
Now in 2026, he remains a free agent but has at least been able to train with a Premier League club.
Alli Trains With Premier League Club to Build Fitness
As per The Athletic, Alli is training individually at his former club Tottenham Hotspur to maintain fitness while he searches for a new team. The report notes that the 29-year-old has been permitted to train on an academy pitch at Hotspur Way, their Hertfordshire base.
Spurs have confirmed the news, as it was revealed that he has actually been with the club for a few weeks now. He was even seen working with an individual coach on Wednesday.
Dele scored 67 goals and provided 59 assists in 269 Tottenham games during his six-and-a-half seasons in north London. He also made 37 England appearances, scoring at both Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup.
Dele was actually a guest at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium during the 4-1 north London derby defeat to rivals Arsenal in February, and even came onto the pitch at half-time. He told the crowd:
“I can’t wait to get back on the pitch playing, hopefully it won’t be too long now.
“I hope you’ve missed me as much as I’ve missed you. A lot has happened in our journeys since we were last together but I’m back today and I hope you know that you’ll always be my family.”
Dele will perhaps be hoping to follow in the footsteps of fellow English midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who recently trained with Arsenal, even playing for the U21 team, before earning a move to Celtic.
In February, another former club, MK Dons were linked with a possible move for Alli. On top of that, four Spanish top-flight clubs, including Elche were also touted as possible destinations for the 29-year-old.
It will be interesting to see where he ends up next. For now, it remains unlikely that he would do enough to earn a second chance at Tottenham, who can't afford to take any risks on the pitch with the threat of relegation looming.