'Not ready yet' - Sean Dyche offers update on Dele Alli after Everton 'transfer stance'

Dele Alli and Seamus Coleman in Everton training. Picture: Everton FC/ YoutubeDele Alli and Seamus Coleman in Everton training. Picture: Everton FC/ Youtube
Dele Alli and Seamus Coleman in Everton training. Picture: Everton FC/ Youtube | Dele Alli and Seamus Coleman in Everton training. Picture: Everton FC/ Youtube
Everton FC transfer news: The former Tottenham attacker is currently a free agent.

Sean Dyche offered an update on Dele Alli who has been training with Everton ahead of a potential move in the near future.

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The former Tottenham midfielder left the club officially in the summer at the end of his contract and the club have supported him to continue his rehabilitation having not played a competitive game since early 2023. Having been at Finch Farm across pre-season, reports surfaced about the 28-year-old potentially being offered a contract again if he could prove himself - but Dyche has revealed that process is still yet to get underway.

Speaking ahead of Everton’s trip to face Spurs, he gave an update on Alli’s situation and responded to a question about the potential of him playing some behind closed doors game - “He’s just not ready for that yet.”

A follow-up question asked whether Alli would want to stay and Dyche responded: “We haven’t gone down that road because he’s not ready to play yet, you need to be able to play to know what the future holds - he hasn’t played in a long time.”

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It is clear that the road to recovery and redemption for the former England international is still some ways away. If he can regain his fitness, match sharpness and some sense of form, the club could offer him a deal to bring him back into the fray - that’s the current plan.

However, His last competitive game was on loan at Besiktas on February 26, 2023 in a goalless draw with Antalyaspor. He did feature on Sky Sport’s Monday Night Football coverage in April where he spoke out about his career plans - which was the last update we received from the player himself.

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"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.

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“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.” Asked if he’d like to get back to the level he was before, Alli said: “I hope so. 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.”

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