Tottenham Hotspur attacking midfieler Dele Alli’s future at the club is in doubt after he was left out of the squad to face Lokomotiv Plovdiv in a Europa League tie later today.
The England international was substituted at half-time in the defeat to Everton in last weekend’s Premier League opener. He has now been omitted from the travelling party for the trip to Bulgaria by head coach Jose Mourinho.
Alli, aged 24, is not injured, according to The Guardian, and his absence comes after Mourinho criticised “lazy pressure up front” from his side after the Everton loss.
Although Alli was not singled out, the comment came in the same month that viewers of the All Or Nothing documentary saw Mourinho telling the former MK Dons man he is a “lazy trainer” shortly after arriving at the club to replace Mauricio Pochettino.
It now remains to be seen whether Mourinho intends to offload Alli before the transfer window closes.
In a further twist, Alli like a tweet from a Spurs fan account in which a Spurs starting XI for the season ahead – without Alli, but including prospective signings Gareth Bale and Sergio Reguilon – was suggested.
Some reports have linked Alli with a move to Real Madrid as a makeweight in the deal to bring Bale and Sergio Reguilon to north London.
