In a January Transfer Window that has been devoid of any big moves, the one transfer saga that has continued to rumble is the potential loan of Dele Alli from Tottenham Hotspur to Paris Saint-Germain.
Alli, who has only managed one Premier League start this season is looking for a move away from North London to link up with former manager Mauricio Pochettino.
However, time is quickly running out and the transfer has been put in real doubt with less than 24 hours of the window remaining.
Dele Alli Transfer Saga Coming to an End
Daniel Levy Seeks Replacement Before Sanctioning Move
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano provided an update on the possible transfer via his official Twitter channel.
Romano tweeted: “Dele Alli-PSG deal is not progressing. Tottenham were looking for Eriksen as a replacement but Inter won’t sell him now. Alli deal is almost ‘ready to be completed’ on loan but Tottenham are not intentioned to sell him without any replacement. Really complicated.”
This follows a report in the Sunday Mirror that claimed the deal rested on Tottenham Chairman Daniel Levy being able to find an adequate replacement. According to the report, there was hope that a deal for former Spurs playmaker Christian Eriksen could be reached. Eriksen, however, seems to have been given a second chance by Inter Milan boss Antonio Conte, making any move for the Dane looking increasingly unlikely.
Eriksen started in Inter’s recent 4-0 victory over Benevento and before that managed to score a crucial last gasp winner against rivals AC Milan in the Coppa Italia.
Pochettino Compares Alli to Maradona
It’s not hard to see why Alli is such an attractive option for PSG. Still only 24, he has a lot of his best football in front of him. A dynamic box to box midfielder, Alli has already notched a total of 50 Premier League goals achieving the feat quicker than Premier League greats Eden Hazard, Paul Scholes, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard.
Alli was a key member of Pochettino’s Tottenham side that challenged for the 2015/2016 Premier League title and reached the 2019 Champions League Final.
Speaking during his hiatus, Pochettino showed his affection for Alli when comparing him to football great Diego Maradona.
Speaking on Sky Sport’s Monday Night Football, Pochettino stated: “Maradona was a talented, gifted player; so strong, physicality, natural body, that’s strong, quick, powerful, but then his character, it’s winning, the DNA. He’s a winner, he’s a winner, and then the charisma, the energy makes him so special. The charisma is the best thing he has, when he walks into the room everyone watches him, everyone wants to touch him, wants to ask for a picture.
“His energy, you smell the energy, his charisma it’s amazing. Ronaldinho at Paris St Germain was similar. And it’s similar in this way with Dele. People love him in this way. When you add the charisma to the talent, that’s what makes a special player.”
Daniel Levy is no stranger to deadline day drama – Harry Redknapp once exclaimed that transfer deadline day is when Levy “is in his element.” In a deal that looks set to go down to the wire, Alli will be hoping that Levy manages to live up to his legend once more and finds a way for him to end his Tottenham nightmare.
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