Disaster for Dele Alli as ex-Tottenham star loses £150,000 during late-night poker games in London casino

Dele was once working on terms worth £150,000-a-week, while boasting a £50 million-plus ($68m) price tag, but has rather lost his way in recent times. His deal at Everton expired in 2024 after picking up injuries and taking in a forgettable loan spell at Turkish side Besiktas.

Former Chelsea, Arsenal and Barcelona star Cesc Fabregas offered Dele a fresh start in Italy, with Como putting terms to the one-time Premier League performer. He made just one substitute appearance for Como, which lasted less than 10 minutes after picking up a red card against AC Milan.

Dele was subsequently released and has been without a club since September 2025. According to the Daily Mail, he has been “regularly joining late night card sessions at The Victoria Casino in central London where he is understood to have repeatedly racked up losses of £25,000-a-night”.

Card games would not appear to be Dele’s forte, as he has quickly been identified as a “whale” by fellow competitors - poker slang for a player that is not very skilled and often loses large amounts of money.

A professional poker star has told the Mail: “We all look forward to Dele coming to the casino because ‘snaring a whale’ is a serious player's dream scenario. As soon as he arrives at the casino, a message gets sent around saying: ‘The Dele is open for business’ - and there's a rush to join the game that he joins because we know there's easy money to be made.

“He's been turning up almost every other day over the past two weeks, usually in the early hours of the morning. Sometimes he's alone but at other times he's with an entourage. He goes upstairs to the high stakes poker tables, plays for a few hours and typically loses £25,000 each time, which I would imagine is the daily credit limit the casino has given him.”

Another player added: “It's actually quite sad because he never really speaks to anyone and doesn't appear to be that happy. We all know he's not short of money and he doesn't seem that bothered about losing so much, which is great for us.

“Ultimately poker is a tough world and whatever might be going on for a player, there's no place for emotions. It's all about playing and winning as much money as you can.”

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Dele is said to be worth around £20m ($27m), so can afford a few rough evenings at the poker table. He does not, however, want to become stuck on a slippery slope and will be desperate to get himself back on the training field as soon as possible.

He has, however, been warned that attracting offers will be easier said than done, given how little football he has played in the last three years. Ex-Spurs defender Stephen Carr told GOAL recently: “It’s scary how he’s fallen. He’s only 29, just gone past being in his peak, but the amount of football he has played in the last few years is very low.

“It’s very hard. It’s no different to when you get injured, you do all the training and getting back fit takes time. He’s missed a lot of football. The way he sounds, it seems he still has the hunger. But his chances are getting very slim now.

“He’s had a few opportunities, it didn’t work out at Como. It’s very difficult to get back up to that pace, that standard, because the body gets used to that level and when you aren’t playing it, it’s very hard to catch up again. I think that’s where he’s at. I don’t know the ins and outs with him. He will pick up injuries. His body isn’t used to playing at the highest level now. Very difficult time. His body might be completely gone.

“Whether somebody else gives him an opportunity… He is a top player, has played for England, but that’s the past now. It’s about now and he hasn’t been playing, hasn’t been performing. It is last chance saloon for him. Whether he gets another very good opportunity, or whether his desire is there…

“Wherever he ends up, he isn’t going to get to pick. It could be a trial where you have to prove it. It’s whether he has the stomach for that. I’ve done it myself, going for a trial. For me, it didn’t bother me. It’s very difficult, it’s a different situation. I don’t know the lad, his personality or the people around him. He has fallen from grace dramatically. It’s very difficult to get back in. I know your head says it, but his body won’t be saying it because he hasn’t played in so long and he’s not used to it.”

A shock return to his roots at MK Dons has been ruled out for Dele, but EFL offers could still be tabled amid talk of several teams in Spain expressing interest in a man who was once linked with a move to Real Madrid.