The team news for today’s big London derby is in, and we have a clear headline- Tottenham Hotspur have left out Dele Alli. The English international will not feature at Chelsea today, and there is a lot of talk about the out of favor attacking midfielder moving on to Newcastle United before the January transfer window ends.
More on that in a bit, but first, here are the team sheets for Chelsea and Tottenham:
Chelsea-Spurs teams pic.twitter.com/xIwBesy2XX
— Miguel Delaney (@MiguelDelaney) January 23, 2022
Alli, who once won major awards and was previously regarded a major building block for the North London club, has seen his career head downhill fast. He’s only featured six times in 15 matches under Antonio Conte.
According to multiple media outlets, Newcastle are set to splash the cash on him, adding to the January additions that they have already made. The Geordies, now under new and wealthier ownership, have to spend like a drunken sailor here in order to make sure they stay up in the top flight.
They have already added former Tottenham man and fullback Kieran Trippier (from Atletico Madrid), and attacker Chris Wood from Burnley.
Poor Dele Alli- he really should find a new destination, and soon, so that he get his professional groove back. His contract at White Hart Lane doesn’t expire until 2024, so the club still have a chance to cash in on him, and they should do so now.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.