Redknapp destroys ‘arrogant’ Tottenham player who once had hunger

Fri 30 March 2018 15:43, UK

By Richard Parks

Jamie Redknapp has labelled Dele Alli as “arrogant” as he urged him to fight back from his England snub and deliver for Tottenham against Chelsea on Sunday.

The former England midfielder and high-profile pundit told the Sky Sports website that the attacking midfielder, 21, has a lot to prove following a season that has fallen short of the standards he has set.

Mauricio Pochettino hailed Alli as the best 21-year-old in the world earlier this month, but he was dropped from the England starting XI for their matches against Holland and Italy during the international break.

“Dele Alli will have had a shock this week while away on England duty,” Redknapp wrote in a Sky Sports column. “There’s no doubt he’s a great player. And the way he plays suggests he knows that too. But being left out by Gareth Southgate will have hurt him.

“He certainly hasn’t hit the heights of last year. Back then he had a lot of hunger. Now there seems to be an element of arrogance.

“There have also been one or two misdemeanours which haven’t endeared him to people and he gets involved in things he shouldn’t.”

Football Insider verdict:

Alli is a super talent, but Pochettino probably did not help the number 10 when he lauded him as the best in his age group in the world. His performances this season have suggested otherwise. Certainly, Alli is a mighty fine player with the potential to be a great one. But he could learn a thing or two from teammate Harry Kane, who has a humility and respect for the game that Alli appears to lack. Pochettino has continued to stick by the attacking midfielder and select him for the starting XI, as he will likely do against Chelsea on Sunday. But Alli has had a warning; he needs to raise his game for club and country.