Football London

Tottenham wonderkid finally makes debut but another is recalled from loan  Football London

Dele Alli was offered a way back into football by a former manager, but has now gone more than a year without playing a match

Former Tottenham Hotspur and England midfielder Dele Alli has been without a club for more than a year despite interest in him. However, a manager who claims to have offered Dele a way back into the game has suggested that the 30-year-old needs to lower his expectations about the level at which he can play.

The Milton Keynes-born star was still a teenager when he left hometown club MK Dons - then in League One - for Spurs in 2015. He spent the next decade playing top-flight football, most recently on a short-term deal with Serie A side Como.

He has played just 29 competitive games since leaving Spurs in January 2022, with injury and addiction impacting his career. Just one of those matches came in a Como shirt and came to an early end when he was sent off on his debut.

Karl Robinson gave Dele his senior debut with the Dons and claims to have offered the midfielder a contract with Salford City when in charge of the EFL side last term. Robinson recognised that the self-belief that got the player to the highest level will make him think he can still thrive in the highest echelons of the game, but suggested Dele may need to swallow his pride and return to a lower level of the sport.

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"If a job comes up, Dele Alli is always more than welcome to come anywhere I go, if he wants to," Robinson said on No Tippy Tappy Football. "All I can say is that I hope he’s well, I hope he’s healthy, and I hope he’s in a good place.

“If he ticks all those boxes, I don’t care about whether he’s a footballer; I worry about Dele as a young man – he is someone that I will always be there to pick up the phone to.

“I would 100% give him a chance. I saw him in the gym in June, and I told him to come to Salford. But he probably looked at me and went, ‘gaffer, come on, I’m not doing that.’"

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At his peak, Dele enjoyed an 18-goal Premier League season when Tottenham finished second behind Chelsea in the 2016/17 campaign. He also scored three goals in 37 senior England appearances, including a memorable effort against Sweden at the 2018 World Cup.

However, he hasn't scored a goal of any kind since January 2023, when he netted for Besiktas against Alanyaspor. Robinson recognised it was mentality that helped get him to the top, but that same mentality might leave him thinking he can still make a difference at the highest level.

“The reason why these players become these players is because they’ve got self-belief," the manager added. "I guarantee if you sat down with him now, he’d probably say he could change the fortune at Manchester United - because that’s how top players who produce moments of magic think. When this boy left MK Dons at 18 to go to Spurs, he was getting compared to Lionel Messi, David Beckham, Zinedine Zidane, James Rodriguez.

"To see his rise with the national team and with Spurs, and looking to where he is now – and I hope he listens to this – I don’t know why he’s not playing football. He is a tremendous young man who has come through a lot of situations that he’s struggled through, but he’s risen above it to become the person he is.”

Tottenham sold the Croatian this summer in a big money deal to Brighton after signing the Seagulls own centre-back beforehand

Luka Vuskovic is loving life at Brighton and is thankful for Tottenham's involvement in his career but still does not know why they sold him.

The 19-year-old was signed by Spurs when he was just 16 but could not move to north London from Hajduk Split for a couple of years due to EU regulations. The big centre-back went out on loans to Radomiak in Poland and then Westerlo in Belgium before arriving at Spurs last year and was then sent on another loan to Bundesliga outfit Hamburg.

Vuskovic starred in Germany and played at the World Cup for Croatia, but found he had no immediate future at Tottenham under Roberto De Zerbi and another loan move was likely in the offing.

The teenager pushed for a permanent move to ensure his career continued to push on and after signing Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton for £52million, the north London club sold Vuskovic to the Seagulls as his replacement. It was a deal worth £46million plus another £4million in what are seen to be very achievable add-ons, plus a 20% sell-on clause on any profit made on the defender as well as matching rights for future bids.

Vuskovic has been a major hit for Brighton with Fabian Hurzeler playing the youngster in almost every minute this season so far as the south coast side find themselves third in the early Premier League table with Spurs down in 16th.

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He has already scored his first Premier League goal in the draw with Leeds last month and grabbed an assist in a dramatic Carabao Cup comeback at Old Trafford as Brighton beat Manchester United 3-2 11 days later.

When asked whether he had proved a point to Spurs, Vuskovic is quoted in The Argus as saying: "I wouldn’t look at it like that. Tottenham really helped me when I was a teenager. For two years I’ve been with them and the loans and they helped me a lot. I’m really grateful To them. I’m in Brighton now and I feel great. It’s an unbelievable club who believe in me."

He added: "In the end, I don’t know why Tottenham didn't want me. But Brighton believed in me. Also, a few years back I knew they wanted to sign me. I’m really happy with my choice. It’s really an amazing club with young talent."

Johan Lange speaks out on Tottenham transfers and his own job security at the club  Football London

The Tottenham boss may need to repeat his Brighton & Hove Albion trick on Saturday when his side take on Chelsea

Roberto De Zerbi will be hoping his Tottenham Hotspur side can kick on following their first victory of the season against Coventry City on Monday night.

The 3-1 victory, which saw James Maddison, Omar Marmoush and Ben Davies get on the scoresheet, moved Tottenham up to 16th in the Premier League and would have given everyone in the squad a boost. The return of Dejan Kulusevski, plus the impressive performance of Maddison, were also real highlights and De Zerbi has called on his players to keep improving.

"I hope we can play with this attitude, with this mentality, with this union, and improving at the same time, improving confidence, improving everything we need," De Zerbi said after the win against Frank Lampard's side.

"We have to play better because we can play better. I think other games, even if we play with different opponents, it would be easier as a tactical game. But for sure, now we have to push in this way."

Before the next international break in November, Tottenham face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday (October 24), Crystal Palace in north London on October 31 and Leeds United at Elland Road on November 7. It could be a vital block of fixtures if De Zerbi wants to get Spurs' season back on track.

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Xabi Alonso's Chelsea team will be a real test, however. The Blues are currently fourth in the league and go into the clash having won 2-0 at Everton. They have won four of their seven league games so far this season, scoring 17 goals in the progress, although they have also conceded 13.

With the likes of Morgan Rogers, Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro showcasing their talents, De Zerbi will know how difficult Saturday will be. Tottenham's record at Stamford Bridge does not make for good reading, either.

In fact, the last time Tottenham recorded a win at Chelsea's home ground was in April 2018. Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli (two) were both on the scoresheet that day as Mauricio Pochettino masterminded a huge victory over Antonio Conte.

Since that day more than eight years ago, Tottenham have failed to win any of their 10 visits to Stamford Bridge. The Lilywhites have lost their last six games against Chelsea in the Premier League and have not left Stamford Bridge with a point since the 2-2 draw in August 2022.

De Zerbi has actually faced Chelsea six times already in his career (five with Brighton and once with Tottenham last season) and boasts a record of two wins and four loses. While the record does not make for sensational reading, the Italian at least does know how to beat the Blues at Stamford Bridge, having done so with Brighton in April 2023 as goals from Danny Welbeck and Julio Enciso ensured a 2-1 victory.

Additionally, Tottenham and Chelsea also locked horns in a pre-season friendly this summer. In what was just Alonso's second game in charge, Richarlison, who, ironically, has since been exiled from the Spurs squad, scored a stoppage-time winner at the Accor Stadium in Sydney to give De Zerbi perhaps another boost over Chelsea and Alonso.

De Zerbi will be hoping he can use this all to his advantage as he bids to break the eight-year Tottenham curse and earn a victory at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

Roberto De Zerbi unlocks undroppable Tottenham star just in time for huge Chelsea clash  Football London

£60m Tottenham transfer failure will sting forever as superstar tears Man Utd to shreds  Football London

Roberto De Zerbi is set to be without a number of players for Tottenham's clash against Chelsea

Roberto De Zerbi will be hoping he can welcome back one of his senior Tottenham Hotspur players when his side lock horns with Chelsea at the weekend.

Spurs moved up to 16th place in the Premier League following their 3-1 win over Coventry City on Monday night. Goals from James Maddison, Omar Marmoush and Ben Davies ensured a huge three points at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with fans inside the ground saving the biggest cheer of the night for Dejan Kulusevski, who came off the bench to make his return after 17 months of injury turmoil.

Chelsea, now managed by Xabi Alonso, have started the season under the Spaniard well and are currently fourth. They came away from Everton with all three points on Saturday thanks to a 2-0 win and De Zerbi will know how tough a test the Blues will present.

Tottenham are expected to receive a boost for the clash at Stamford Bridge, too, as Pedro Porro continues his recovery from a hamstring injury sustained in the loss against Aston Villa on September 19. The World Cup winner limped off after just 19 minutes and has missed the last two matches, as well as all of Spain's matches during the three-week international break.

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Porro took to social media last week to declare he is "almost back", sharing a video of himself in what appeared to be Tottenham's revamped Hotspur Way first team gym, leaping up from a sitting position on to a plyometric box that is as high as his chest.

football.london reported last month that the Spaniard could be back either for the game against Coventry or, if not, the trip across the capital to Chelsea. We asked De Zerbi on Sunday, before the win over Coventry, and he confirmed which one it was, saying: "Pedro, I think he's coming. Maybe in Chelsea he can play."

Porro's return would be a big boost ahead of the clash against the Blues, especially as De Zerbi has a number of other fitness concerns to contend with. Destiny Udogie missed the win over Frank Lampard's side due to a knee injury, with De Zerbi saying before the match: "Destiny Udogie played 70 minutes [against Man Utd] and he suffered a problem in his knee and we didn't take a risk."

Andy Robertson, Tosin Adarabioyo and Omar Marmoush all limped off during the win over the Sky Blues, although De Zerbi did not believe they were seriously injured. Keeping his cards close to his chest, De Zerbi said: "No, no, no, I think there are no injuries, nothing important."

Elsewhere, Lucas Bergvall, Mykhailo Mudryk and Savio are nursing knocks and won't be back in time to face Chelsea, while Xavi Simons and Wilson Odobert are still recovering from anterior cruciate ligament surgeries. Rodrigo Bentancur is suspended following his red card picked up against Manchester United.

Five things spotted in Chelsea training as Xabi Alonso takes 'extreme' action for Tottenham test  Football London

Tottenham Hotspur and Thomas Frank parted ways earlier this year, but they could soon be on the same pitch as each other in the near future

Ex-Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank is believed to be on Crystal Palace's radar. Frank, 53, was sacked by the north Londoners in February, where he left Spurs in 16th place.

The Dane was identified as a target for Palace soon after his exit and, eight months later, he is being linked again. The Eagles are currently managed by the under pressure Pierre Sage, who recently witnessed his side be hammered 5-0 by fierce rivals Brighton and Hove Albion.

Palace were 3-0 down within 10 minutes at the Amex Stadium, where they were pulled apart by the Seagulls and mocked by the home side's jubilant fans. They have also only won two of their opening seven Premier League matches this season.

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The Guardian understands the club are willing to give the ex-Lyon boss some time to fix their defensive and injury issues. However, it's also believed Sage was "warned" things must improve drastically after the horror show against Brighton.

The pummelling also mean no team in the Premier League has conceded as many goals as Palace's 17 this season. It's also understood Palace chairman Steve Parish has made it clear Sage is under pressure, even though the French manager is expected to be in charge for the Europa League clash against Besiktas and the home game against Newcastle United.

Ex-Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna and Frank are believed to be the main contenders if they club decide to sack Sage. If the Frenchman departed after the game against Newcastle on October 25th, Frank could return to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as manager of the south Londoners if he is appointed before Halloween.

Palace and Spurs face each other in north London on October 31, with Palace taking on Fulham in the fourth round of the League Cup on October 28.

It would be quite the reunion, particularly if he is able to steal a win over his former employers, who moved up to 16th place by beating Coventry City 3-1. In the summer, Frank concluded it would be too soon for him to return to management.

In a statement before the World Cup, which saw him carry out punditry roles for the BBC and Danish television, he said he wanted to take some time away from football to be with his family. He also admitted to turning down some approaches from other clubs interested in his services.

He said: "Leaving Tottenham has given me the chance to step back and reflect on my journey so far. Football management is a profession that demands complete commitment every single day, and periods like this are a rare opportunity to assess, learn and gain a fresh perspective.

"From the outside, it may have looked like a time of many challenges at Tottenham when results were not what we wanted. From within, however, it becomes clear why the club is so special - full of talented people who work tirelessly every day. I have no doubt Tottenham has a bright future."

He also added: "There have been conversations and opportunities since leaving Spurs, but I have decided not to rush into the next role. For me, this summer is not the right time to go back into management. When the time is right, I will look forward to my return as a manager, ready to embrace the job with great energy and dedication."