‘Last chance saloon’ - Why Dele Alli flopped in Serie A after shock Como switch while ex-Man Utd star Scott McTominay flourishes at Napoli

Dele has been splashing around in those waters for 10 months, with no club willing to take a calculated gamble on his services. The 30-year-old has been looking to keep himself fit while working through individual training programmes.

With the dawn of another new season fast approaching, it may be that a man with 51 Premier League goals and 37 senior caps for the Three Lions to his name finds a new home before competitive action resumes.

There appears to be little chance - having also flopped at Everton and during a loan spell in Turkey with Besiktas - that top-flight opportunities will be presented in a leading division across Europe. A backwards step could be required in order to establish forward momentum once more.

Interest from within the EFL ranks has previously been mooted - amid links to Wrexham and Birmingham, who have Ryan Reynolds and Tom Brady on their respective boards - and a fresh start is clearly required in order for a lost spark to be rekindled.

The intention was to complete that process in the picturesque surroundings of Lake Como, but Dele saw less than 10 minutes of action in a solitary outing off the bench against AC Milan that delivered a red card before his contract was torn up.

Ex-Nottingham Forest and England defender Walker knows all about the challenges of life in Italy, having linked up with Sampdoria in 1992. He - speaking in association with Betinia - has told GOAL when asked why Dele stumbled in Serie A while former Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay has thrived at Napoli: “In careers, I think it was like a last chance saloon for him.

“I don't think that was in McTominay’s case. He's gone to a very top team over there, who I think really wanted him. Whereas probably, Dele was at the stage of his career where they were hoping it would all work.

“And to go there, to settle that first four or five months is the most difficult part. And also, characters. Dele, he might have been used to being in England and it's difficult. So, the adjustment is really hard.

“It's easy to say it didn't work for him, but the adjustment is really hard. And I'll testify to that myself. The adjustment is really hard. So, it doesn't work for everybody. And in Italy, they don't give you time. The bigger the star you are, the less time you've got as well. So, you have to hit the ground running over there and that's a really difficult thing to do.”

Another man well versed in the demands of Serie A, Roberto Di Matteo, has previously told GOAL of Dele - who was a starry-eyed academy hopeful at MK Dons when the former Italy international filled the first-team dugout in Milton Keynes: “From the outside it’s difficult to make an assessment.

“I don’t know what’s going on with him personally. He was at such a high and somehow, something changed with him in his personal life. It’s difficult. It’s just a shame that we have lost one of the young, bright, English talents.

“I don’t know what he needs to climb up the ladder again. It’s difficult. I just wish he finds it as soon as possible so he can enjoy his football, his life again, and have a good time.”

Dele has refused to throw in the towel, with there still enough time for a career that has veered alarmingly off course to be steered back on track. He just needs somebody to take a punt.

It remains to be seen whether those opportunities are presented in 2026-27, with talk of interest from Real Madrid being shown in a man that once starred alongside Harry Kane in north London starting to feel like it surfaced a lifetime ago.