Dele Alli looking for new club after being told he is not in Como's plans

Times

5 hours ago

Dele Alli has been told he no longer features in the plans of Serie A side Como and is looking for a new club.
The 29-year-old former Tottenham Hotspur and England midfielder did not travel with his team-mates to Marbella, Spain for a pre-season camp and has reportedly been training instead at Como's base in Mozzate, northern Italy, with other players who have been advised their futures lie elsewhere. Reports in Italy suggesting that he is considering retirement are understood to be wide of the mark, with Dele keen to continue rebuilding his career at a new team.
Dele joined Como, who are coached by the former Arsenal, Chelsea and Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fàbregas, in January on an 18-month contract after his release by Everton. He has struggled with fitness issues but returned as a substitute in March, during an away game at AC Milan, after more than two years without a competitive appearance.
However, he was sent off ten minutes into his return for a challenge on his former England team-mate, Ruben Loftus-Cheek. Dele initially received a yellow card which was upgraded to a red after a VAR review.
When the referee, Matteo Marchetti, eventually showed Dele the red card, Milan's Kyle Walker, who played with Dele for both England and Tottenham, pleaded with the official not to send him off. That match has proven to be Dele's one and only appearance for Como.
Dele's previous competitive appearance came for Besiktas in February 2023. He had moved to the Turkish club on loan from Everton, but the deal was impacted by injury. That summer, he checked into a rehabilitation centre in the United States, in an effort to overcome an addiction to sleeping pills.
JONATHAN MOSCROP/GETTY IMAGES
In July 2023, he spoke bravely about the childhood traumas that had later impacted his career and his life in a raw interview with The Overlap. He revealed that, as a child, he had been sexually abused and that at the age of eight, he had been dealing drugs. Dele expressed his ambition to return to playing and confirmed he was receiving off-field support.
He spent six weeks in the United States and returned to Everton, where he continued his rehabilitation from a groin injury. His contract expired in July 2024, although he continued to train with the club as he worked his way back to full fitness.
Dele began his career at MK Dons and then spent seven years at Tottenham, where he made 269 appearances and scored 67 goals. He has been capped 37 times by England, scoring three goals.