What next for Dele Alli? Ex-Tottenham star needs to show he's more serious about turning his career around after failed Serie A spell at Como

When Dele came off the bench for the final 10 minutes of Como's trip to AC Milan in March, he would have found it hard to believe that would be his only appearance for the club. He would have found it even harder to fathom how the match ended. With the visitors trailing 2-1 but chomping at the bit for an equaliser, the introduction of Dele to find that crucial goal seemed logical, yet this would be the only time the world would see him don the blue of I Lariani.

While trying to chase down former England team-mate and Milan midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Dele accidentally clipped his heels. At first, the referee brandished a yellow card for a clumsy foul, but after a VAR review, this was upgraded to a red, and 10-man Como departed San Siro without any points to show for their efforts. Post-match, Dele uploaded a series of pictures to Instagram to commemorate his return, including a WhatsApp exchange with Loftus-Cheek in which they both expressed their shock at the decision to send him off. Hilarious for neutrals, yes, but one that may not have impressed the supporters and staff at Como.

"It was definitely a special feeling just because I know the journey," Dele said to Como's social media team. "I'd been obviously focused on the game and trying to help the team. We were 2-1 down, so I wanted to go out there, I wanted to help, to score or help the team score, just play a part and turn the result around. For me it was clear what I was trying to do, it was a tactical foul, a tactical yellow, no malice or force, or recklessness in the challenge. You see the pictures after the game of my stud on his calf but there was no force or anything. If you pause the image of course it looks bad."

It speaks volumes that Fabregas didn't call upon Dele again in any of their remaining games for the 2024-25 season, instead logging seven appearances on the bench as an unused substitute.

On September 1, 2025, Como and Dele released a joint statement confirming that his future lies away from the club, resulting in the decision to rip up his deal in Lombardy. The statement read: "Como 1907 and Dele Alli have agreed to a mutual termination of his contract. Dele is keen to secure regular playing opportunities and, as he was not part of the club's immediate plans, both parties felt it was the right decision to part ways ahead of the transfer window closing. The club thanks Dele for his time at Como and wishes him the very best for the future."

It would have been easy for Como to simply pen a release on their own and leave the details of Dele's departure absent, to let him fend for himself in the dog-eat-dog world of football and deal with the aftermath himself. To corroborate in this manner presumes Dele indeed tried his hardest to make this half-season move work, and though it didn't pan out the way either party planned, there's no bad blood between them.

Como reassigned Dele's No.8 shirt to new arrival Sergi Roberto, a friend and former Barcelona team-mate of Fabregas, during the summer, suggesting both sides knew that a split was forthcoming. Nevertheless, the public desire for Dele to play frequently is clear for all to see in black and white.

Since leaving Tottenham midway through 2021-22, Dele has only features in 29 matches. Thirteen of those came at Everton, another 15 on loan at Besiktas, and then the one solitary appearance for Como. He hasn't scored a goal in a top-five league in that timespan.

You have to go back even further to find a time where Dele was in any sort of fine form. Though his detractors often point to the warning given by Jose Mourinho expressed during Tottenham's Amazon Prime documentary, the two formed a fine relationship in their first few months together. Dele registered 10 goal involvements - finding the net six times and providing the assist on four other occasions - under the 'Special One's management in 2019-20, and he was a key pillar of that Spurs side before the world was plunged into lockdown.

That's how long it's been since Dele was a player that top-level teams feared. The word 'coronavirus' meant very little to anyone outside of China. 'Social distancing' was an unknown concept. Playing football behind closed doors for a whole calendar year seemed an absurd idea regardless of the situation. Nowadays, those are all historical points in a dark period of human history, and we are now over half a decade removed from its beginnings.

If there is a player still in Dele, it's hard to imagine it's at that same level. To take a punt on him would be quite the experiment for any team under pressure at either end of whatever league they're competing in.

For the most part, Dele's decline has been put down to injuries, as attested to by former MK Dons team-mate Dean Lewington. "It's a shame. I think everyone thought Como was a good move - getting out of the limelight of England and going away and just getting his head down and playing games, it seemed like it would be the right move for him," Lewington said on talkSPORT in August.

“But it's just a shame it doesn't seem to have worked out, for whatever reason. I think injuries are a big part. He just can't seem to get a run of games or get any football. And if you're not playing at his age, it causes other stuff as well. So it's just a shame that it's not quite worked out for him.

"I think those first three seasons at Tottenham, he won PFA Young Player of the Year twice. And his numbers and his stats were incredible. And the documentary that came out, I don't think helped him. I think the change of manager, when [Mauricio] Pochettino left, really affected him, and injuries and other stuff that he had going on. But he just never seemed to be able to recapture those early years, where I think he was probably one of the most promising players in England for a few years at that time."

During an appearance on Sky Sports' 'Monday Night Football' in April 2024, a few months before his release from Everton and joining Como, Dele famously outlined his ambitions to return to the England fold: "You know you can set reminders on your phone, I have a reminder at 11 o'clock every day that says, 'World Cup 2026'. That's my aim for now. I think that people will be like, 'he hasn't played in a year', but I don't care, I know my level. The only target I have is the World Cup right now. Obviously I'm injured and contracted to Everton and so my mind is just about taking it day by day and making sure my injury is healed and that I'm in the best possible condition after the summer."

He added: "I spoke about it in my interview and don't want to go over it too much again – but I know my level as a player and what I can get to. I know how good I can be when my head is in the right place and I'm feeling good. Obviously I'm disappointed with the injury right now but I'm excited to get playing. It's hard for me to even watch football. It's been tough for me, I'd say, this past eight months has been hard to watch."

It's this sort of ambition and desire that separates professional athletes from the rest of us. They're wired differently. However, over a year later and less than 12 months away from World Cup kick-off, Dele must have some recognition that this target is as unrealistic as ever.

Let's say Dele does join a top-flight side and has a bounce-back season as he so hopes. He would still have to usurp the likes of Jude Bellingham, Cole Palmer - who himself is struggling to get into Thomas Tuchel's plans - Eberechi Eze, Morgan Rogers and Morgan Gibbs-White. Even if a renaissance occurs deeper in midfield, there is already a stronghold featuring Declan Rice, Adam Wharton, Jordan Henderson and now Elliot Anderson.

Funnily enough, Loftus-Cheek, who previously went six years without a call-up, may be Dele's best example to follow, but even then he has had to rely on his prior relationship with Tuchel to get a leg up back into the picture. At this stage, a return in time for Euro 2028 on home soil may be a more pragmatic, and perhaps even rational, goal.

So where could Dele go next? Well, he's been linked with a number of options since departing Como, though none seem too tantalising for a man who wants to represent England at a World Cup come the end of the season.

According to the Daily Mail, a trio of Championship sides have earmarked Dele as a potential free signing. As has been the case with many other high-profile free agents, including former Tottenham team-mate Christian Eriksen, Wrexham have been credited with an interest. Joining the ranks of the Red Dragons, or maybe even only entertaining a meeting with Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, could boost his global profile given the success of the club's behind-the-scenes documentary series.

Rivalling Wrexham for that notoriety are Birmingham City, who are under the partial ownership of NFL legend Tom Brady. The Blues, managed Chris Davies, a former assistant to Ange Postecoglou, spent heavily this summer to recruit players such as Kyogo Furuhashi, Demarai Gray and Marvin Ducksch. They were among the favourites to reach the play-offs before taking seven points from four games heading into the September international break. Despite this interest, Football Insider claim that Birmingham's interest has cooled having 'checked the conditions' of a deal.

Next up are West Brom, now being coached by another of Dele's former colleagues in Ryan Mason. The Baggies have started excellently under the ex-England midfielder, winning three and drawing one of their first four games, with only Middlesbrough ahead of them in the standings.

Another second-tier outfit, Swansea City, have been tipped to join the running for Dele, given their recent investment from fellow former Spur Luka Modric. Tottenham supporters who are keen on turning fan fiction into reality have suggested he try and join LAFC, where Son Heung-min has recently teamed up again with Hugo Lloris.

Put all of these transfer clues together and the picture is clear: If Dele wants to play on the biggest stages again, he needs to prove to the world that he is capable of competing in a slightly lesser spotlight first.

Once again, the priority for Dele ought to be his health and happiness. Unfortunately, that might not go in tandem with his World Cup aspirations. There is a growing scepticism over his appetite to get back on track from a footballing perspective.

That said, he has tried his most to prove that fire still burns, that he still possesses a hunger to succeed. Even when on his way out of Como, he was a regular in the club's gym and has been putting in the hard yards all over Europe to return to fitness again.

Actions tend to speak louder than words, and what Dele decides is the best course of action next up on his journey will be a telltale sign of how he views this portion of his career, what is usually most players' prime. Can he return to that physical standard that set him apart at Tottenham? Is he willing to swallow his pride and take a step down to actually pursue playing opportunities? Will he actually be able to stay on whatever pitch he calls home?

Whatever does happen now, the world will be hoping for one hell of a redemption story. It's not on Dele to pen the happy ending.