How Dele Alli can become the most expensive free transfer in history
Cameron Smith
- 1 Feb 2022 15:00 CST
- 4 min read
Free transfers are, as expected, designed to be signed without needing to pay a transfer fee. The whole premise of them is to benefit to buying club, who've struck at the ideal time in order to maximise the financial gains of the move.
But, Dele Alli's move from Tottenham Hotspur to Everton could put that whole idea in jeopardy.
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Just a few years ago, Alli was one of, if not the, hottest property in world football. He was a crucial part of Mauricio Pochettino's Tottenham team who rose towards the top of European football. He scored 18 goals and assisted seven in just 35 Premier League starts during the 2016/17 season, and following those exploits, interest from Real Madrid and the very elite clubs in Europe came calling.
He stayed put at Tottenham, however, and five years on he's not the same player he once was.
The year after that fruitful campaign saw Alli drop 19 goal contributions in the league, still an impressive tally, but it was the 2018/19 season that saw the beginning of his demise. He netted just five league goals, and could only add three assists to that total.
Since Pochettino's exit, it's been a barren spell for Alli. He was soon outcast by Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo gave him a lease of life he couldn't capitalise on, while Antonio Conte didn't fancy him.
It all culminated in seven years at the club that ended on a downward spiral.
Under Frank Lampard at Everton he's been given a new chance. However, while Everton have initially signed Alli on a free transfer, that fee could well rise to the highest in history for a free transfer. First of all, that's because free transfer are designed to cost nothing, and secondly because of the vast fee the Goodison Park team could end up paying Spurs.
How much could Alli cost?
Tottenham reportedly weren't expected to sell Alli on a permanent deal in January, but Everton's sensational offer turned their heads and they couldn't refuse.
Right now, Alli has cost Everton nothing, but after 20 appearances for the club, they will owe Tottenham £10 million. Not only that, but they could end up paying a huge £40m for Alli's services.
That full amount will only be paid once he reaches 80 appearances and is subject to performance related add-ons. What exactly is needed to meet the requirements for those add-ons isn't yet known.
According to The Athletic, Tottenham were 'surprised but satisfied at being able to offload a player who was surplus to requirements.'
Where will he fit in at Everton?
Lampard reportedly identified the lack of a creative midfielder as a real issue in the Everton squad.
It's why he pushed hard for a move for Alli, who, despite his recent troubles, is a player that Lampard admires. Alli told Sky Sports upon signing for Everton: "I've had a few good conversations with him [Lampard] already.
"He is a player I admired my whole career and to have the opportunity to work with him is exciting. I'm sure we're going to do great things together. I just want to be happy playing football.
"Working with Lampard and all the great players they've got there, I think it's a great opportunity for me to do that and I'm excited to go there and show the fans what I can do and help the club as much as I can."
The presence of fellow deadline day signing Donny van de Beek, who arrived on loan from Manchester United, does complicate things for Alli as the pair generally operate in similar areas on the pitch. Fitting them into a coherent system together is therefore one of the challengers facing Lampard.
