Harry Kane’s rich vein of form has attracted suitors such as Real Madrid and Barcelona. However, it’s his midfield team-mate Dele Alli that is more likely to swap England for Spain.
The centre forward has scored 43 goals in 2017 alone for both club and country. His name is mentioned in the “World Class” bracket as his performances continue to stun commentators and pundits alike. He is continually linked with moves to Barcelona and Real Madrid, two heavy weights of European Football.
Dele Alli is Better Suited to La Liga than Harry Kane
Kane won’t be moving to either. Spanish football is full of flair and excitement. Its players are known for their pace, skill and trickery. Take Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as an example. Both have an abundance of natural talent and are well suited to La Liga. Harry Kane is a great player and is a natural goalscorer. His ability to finish a chance and hit the target is often scary. However, if one criticism were to be levelled at the Spurs centre forward, it’s his lack of pace. His style of play just wouldn’t suit the Spanish game.
Traditional English Centre-Forward
Kane is a throwback to a bygone era in English football. Our national game has been built on teamwork and endeavour. We are taught from a young age the virtues of physical attributes over technical ones. Kane displays these values in droves. No one can fault his work ethic or leadership. He just isn’t the right player to play in La Liga.
English players have traditionally struggled in Spain. Michael Owen lasted only lasted a season at Los Blancos. Jonathan Woodgate only managed nine games in the Spanish capital. Both players could be considered as “traditionally English” in their approach to the game.
David Beckham and Steve McManaman, who could both be considered as “flair players”, did better. Beckham had a nasty streak to his game, which helped him settle into the Galácticos era. McManaman’s trickery and ability to ghost past defenders endeared himself to the fans.
Dele Alli
Dele Alli is a completely different proposition to Kane. He has the ability to change the game in an instant. Remember his goal against Crystal Palace in his debut season? That goal was reminiscent of Zinedine Zidane’s strike in the 2002 UEFA Champions League Final against Bayer Leverkusen.
Alli also has a nasty competitive streak in him – something which Kane hasn’t. It gives him an edge to his game which helps him. Wayne Rooney had the same aggressiveness in the earlier part of his career, which made him a better player.
Whilst Kane is a home grown lplayer who has just started a family and appears happy at his boyhood club, Alli could quite easily be tempted to move. He knows that he has been labelled a “wonderkid”. Having that pressure around his neck would hamper most people while Alli seems to thrive under that pressure.
That being said, he lacks the consistency to produce top performances week in week out. It is perhaps the one thing missing from his game. Whilst his counterpart Kane is consistently scoring goals, Alli can go missing in games.
Flair
If Kane is seen as a robust centre forward with a strong work ethic, Alli is the complete opposite. The midfielder often drifts in and out of games. He will never be a playmaker such as Christian Eriksen. Alli combines his skill with an unpredictability that often allows him to beat his opponent, but is still regarded as a “luxury” player.
Whilst Kane is the pinnacle of any attacking movement, Alli is often hard to pick up by defenders because of his free role. You can’t stifle a talent like Alli by restraining him into one position. He needs to be able to roam and find space, often arriving late into the box to score many of his goals.
His personality is that of a superstar player. He would fit right into the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona. Harry Kane on the other hand appears to be a consummate professional, shunning social media as much as he can.
Tottenham Hotspur are lucky to have both. Harry Kane and Dele Alli are both young home-grown talents. They are at the top of their game and will continue to garner interest from other clubs. It will be down to Spurs to start winning competitions to keep hold of both. Without trophies, there will always be speculation about transfers to other clubs. Whilst Kane could be set to stay at the club for years to come, every year without a trophy pushes Dele Alli a little bit closer to the exit.
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