Everton 'open' to giving contract to forgotten star who the club believe can make a difference

Everton are reportedly considering giving Dele Alli a new deal despite having not featured for a year.

Alli, 27, last played a competitive game on February 26 2023 while still on loan at Besiktas but that temporary deal was cut short as he returned to Everton after suffering an injury.

His work in pre-season had been positive and his rehab had been going well as he posted an update in November from Dubai with the caption 'It's not over until I win' but a recurrence of his thigh injury meant more surgery was needed and now he looks unlikely to feature until next season at the earliest. Prior to that, his last Everton appearance came in a 2-1 loss to Aston Villa in August 2022 as he played 10 minutes off the bench under Frank Lampard. According to Patrick Boyland, writing in The Athletic, Everton are open to handing Dele a new contract and a return to action by pre-season this summer has yet to be ruled out. His current deal is set to expire at the end of the season and his future is certainly up in the air.

Also noted in the report is that Everton believe he is 'perfectly suited to the role behind the striker in Dyche’s system, provided he can shake off his injury problems' - which is a role that has been occupied strongly by Abdoulaye Doucoure across recent seasons.

Before the winter setback, Tottenham and Everton had been in discussions over his contract, it was agreed that a sum of £10million ($12.7m) would be due once he reached 20 appearances in which he has made 13, only one of which was a start. And it's been revealed that while Alli wants to remain at the club, a lump payment would also be owed to Spurs should Dele sign a contract extension this summer which will be a key part of the negotiations this summer.