Agbonlahor: Tottenham told to U-turn on Dele Alli transfer plan after update
Gabby Agbonlahor has insisted Tottenham should give Dele Alli a pre-season under a new manager to prove he still has something to offer.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the ex-Aston Villa and England forward insisted Spurs cannot expect Alli to be the same player immediately after being treated poorly by Jose Mourinho.
As revealed by Football Insider, Spurs are planning to sell the attacker this summer despite him starting their final five Premier League games of the season.
The 25-year-old is said to be difficult to manage behind the scenes and therefore Tottenham want to offload him.
But Agbonlahor has insisted that Alli was in a no-win situation.
He told Football Insider correspondent Connor Whitley: “Players play well when they’re happy and being treated well. He hasn’t been treated well by Mourinho.
“I’d give him a pre-season to prove his fitness and that he’s still a good player.
“Players can’t just turn it on after being out in the cold for so long. They need to get into a rhythm and Dele Alli is one of those players.
“You can’t be easy to manage if you’re not playing. When I wasn’t playing I wasn’t easy to manage. You’re upset that you’re not playing. That’s normal.
“If he wasn’t bothered then people would be saying ‘He’s happy not to play.’ Players can’t win sometimes.”
Alli‘s 29 Spurs appearances this season yielded three goals and five assists.
In his six years with the north London club, he has scored 65 goals and provided 60 assists in 251 games.
In other news, Tottenham are to appoint their new manager in days after three rounds of talks with a 47-year-old.