In a recent interview with Football Fancast, former Hull City striker Dean Windass has urged Aston Villa to move in for Tottenham Hotspur playmaker Dele Alli this summer. Windass said,
“I think that would suit Dele Alli, he would be a big player for Villa. I know he’s a different type of player to Jack, but with him being young and English.
“Dele wants to play, players want to play, they’re not happy when they’re not playing. Would be a good fit for Villa even if they keep Jack, to strengthen the team, he would be unbelievable.
“They would probably want £50m-£60m for Dele Alli, but that’s the type of player Dean Smith would want to bring in if Jack left.”
Alli’s Growing Frustrations At The English Capital
Alli endured a frustrating season at North London as he struggled to earn regular game time for Spurs on the field. The English playmaker was involved in just 29 matches for the London giants in the previous campaign, finding the back of the net on three occasions and grabbing five assists in multiple competitions.
Most of the 25-year-old’s appearances came off the bench which explains why he only averaged 0.8 shots, 0.6 key passes and 0.7 dribbles per 90 minutes in the Premier League. However, he kept things tidy when distributing the ball in the opposition half after completing 81.8% of his attempted passes in the English first division (stats via whoscored).
What Will The English Playmaker Bring To Villa Park?
On his day, Alli can be a productive presence in the opposition half as he can complete some decent dribbles going forward and excels at striking the ball with power and precision from long range. However, those days have been few and far between for him at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium over the past few seasons.
Hence, the 37-time England international will be a risky addition to the Villans squad if Dean Smith decides to listen to Windass’ advice by launching a move for him in this off-season. However, if Alli can stay injury-free and get a regular run of games under his belt, he could reignite his old form and become a top performer in English football in the coming seasons.
At 25, Alli still has plenty of time to turn his career around for the better, so an experienced man-manager like Smith could be the perfect candidate to get the best out of him at Villa Park. We can expect the Tottenham outcast to bring some goals and creativity to Aston Villa’s attack that might help them secure a top-half finish in the Premier League next season.
