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A former Tottenham favourite has endured a nightmare debut with his new club.
Former Tottenham star Dele Alli’s return to football was all too brief after he was sent off for a nasty challenge on a former Chelsea man. Alli had been out with injury since 2023 after picking up what turned out to be a serious muscular issue during a loan spell with Besiktas.
Everton helped Alli get back to fitness but he ultimately ended up joining the Cesc Fabregas at Como in Italy. Alli joined the Italian club in January but his wait for a debut appearance lasted until Saturday night when he was brought off the bench during a Serie A clash with AC Milan.
Alli came in on the 82nd minute when he replaced Lucas De Cunha, who had scored a goal and an own goal during the game, with the score at 2-1. But the former Spurs man did not manage his desired impact, receiving a red card nine minutes after coming onto the field.
Alli put in a clumsy challenge on former Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek, catching the midfielder firmly on the back of the calf and upper heel. There didn’t see to be intention in the challenge, but the placing of his studs left VAR with little choice. The challenge initially earned a yellow card, but a VAR review saw it upgraded to a red.
Fabregas did not mince his words after the game, saying: "Milan have world-class players, they are a good team. [Dele] is a player who scores goals, at this moment he has to improve a lot and it is a serious mistake for someone of his experience. He left the team in difficulty, that is the negative thing of the evening.”
He added: “It was at that moment when Milan went 2-1 up and Sergi Roberto was meant to come on, but I’d prefer to give him another two weeks to train so he can be ready to start against Empoli. He [Alli], perhaps didn’t deserve this opportunity because he has only been working with us for two weeks."
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