- Shamser Khalid
Dele Alli Denies Claims That He's Gone Missing
Dele Alli has hit back at claims that he had gone "AWOL" from Besiktas. The Everton midfielder, who is currently on loan to the Turkish outfit, was the subject of speculation after manager Senol Gunes claimed that he could not be contacted and had not returned to training.
Reports say that Besiktas permitted the 37-cap England international to travel to London for a doctor's appointment. Sources also say that representatives confirmed the story. Dele then took to his Instagram stories to set the record straight.
"Hey guys just had loads of messages so wanted to clear something up," he wrote. "The club gave me permission to attend a doctor's appointment today. I'm due back in training tomorrow as normal."
It's not the first time that Dele has faced criticism during his time at Besiktas. In January, he was left on the bench for the Turkish Cup penalty shoot-out defeat to Ankaragucu and was labelled as "below expectations in terms of efficiency" by Gunes.
Dele's Story so Far
The 26-year-old's current situation is the latest setback in a career that began stunningly. After signing from MK Dons in 2015, Dele quickly became one of the stars of the Premier League, winning the PFA Young Player of the Year in 2016 and 2017.
He was also a regular on the international stage and played a key role as England reached the World Cup semi-final in 2018.
However, his career took a downturn when Jose Mourinho replaced Mauricio Pochettino at Tottenham Hotspur.
Mourinho struggled to get the best out of him and infamously told him to up his standards, warning him that "time flies." Spurs eventually decided to allow him to leave the club on a free transfer last January, joining Everton on the same day that Frank Lampard was appointed as manager.
But Lampard, like Mourinho before him, failed to spark his best form, and after half a season, they sanctioned the move to Besiktas.
Dele has managed just two goals in 13 appearances for Besiktas and has been out of favor since Gunes replaced Valerin Ismael in the dugout in October. Reports in Turkey have suggested that he won't play for the club again, with his current situation looking bleak.
Dele's Loan Status
Despite the claims, it seems that Dele will be returning to Everton at the end of the season when his loan spell ends. The move to Besiktas was to give Dele the chance to prove himself in the Super Lig, but it's fair to say that things haven't worked out as planned.
Dele still has one year remaining on his current Everton deal, and it remains to be seen how Toffees boss Sean Dyche will approach his situation in the summer.
However, it looks certain that he will be leaving Turkey, with the relationship between manager and player appearing to be at an all-time low.
Dyche revealed that he would look into the loanee's situation during the international break: "We'll have to wait and see and judge things in the summer now, when we all get back together. Because I'm pretty sure that he's contracted until the end of the season there [Besiktas], so we'll pick that up during the international break."
Aside from this, the midfielder will be hoping to return to his parent club and regain his form in the Premier League.
