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Tottenham Hotspur star Dele Alli was once one of the most valuable youngsters in world football.

In 2018, a study conducted by CIES Football Observatory concluded that the Englishman was the most valuable midfielder in the world, ahead of the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante.

Just a year earlier, former Spurs boss Martin Jol claimed Alli wasn’t too far off being a £100m player, as per football.london, and that was reflected by Transfermarkt at the turn of 2019, where they valued the attacking playmaker at a whopping £90m.

Value plummeting

Things are vastly different now.

CIES’ latest update (8th March 2021) sees the 24-year-old valued at just €30m (£26m), which emphasises just how drastic a downfall he has had in recent seasons.

By comparison, Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes is now the most valuable midfielder at an astonishing €151.1m (£130m), with Chelsea’s Kai Havertz closely following behind at €136m (£117m).

Alli has never been one to be overhyped, but his increased exposure at the elite level since a £5m move from MK Dons aged just 18 has levelled out the public’s expectations of him somewhat.

But what are some of the factors behind his seismic collapse?

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False dawn under Mourinho

After Mauricio Pochettino was sacked in November 2019, the arrival of Jose Mourinho handed Alli an opportunity to reinvent himself – to shake off that annoying tag of ‘Dele’s brother‘ often showing up rather than the player himself.

Indeed, this looked to be the case almost instantly, as a reinvigorated Alli delivered three goals and three assists in the first four matches under the ‘Special One’ but that would upturn in form turned out to be ever so short-lived.

Since then, Amazon’s ‘All or Nothing’ docuseries has come out, and there’s a clip of Mourinho calling Alli “lazy” but in more colourful language. As a result, the Pochettino favourite has only played 964 minutes in all competitions this season, of which 11 of 22 appearances have been starts, via Transfermarkt.

A move to Paris Saint-Germain, the new home of the Argentine boss, fell through in January and now he cuts an often isolated figure in the Spurs team or more so, on the Spurs bench.

Out of England reckoning

With a lack of game time and consistent performances, comes a consequence at international level – unless you’re called Jordan Pickford or Eric Dier.

Having racked up 37 caps for England, Alli was axed from Gareth Southgate’s squad for their Euro 2020 qualifiers and hasn’t actually been seen since their UEFA Nations League third-placed playoff win over Switzerland in July 2019.

It’ll come as a bitter blow to Alli that he won’t be involved in a major tournament this summer but given his age, he has every chance of salvaging his Three Lions career in time for the Qatar World Cup.

He could take a page out of Jesse Lingard’s book after the West Ham loanee earned his first call-up since the very same game.

Where now?

It wasn’t too long ago that Alli managed a whopping 31 direct goal contributions in one season (2017/18) and at just 24 years of age, he is still nowhere near his peak.

Around this time, he was being lauded as a “competitive animal” and a “freak of a talent” – also drawing lofty comparisons to the likes of Steven Gerrard and co.

Now the forgotten Spurs man has only contributed towards seven goals, which is still respectable considering the lack of minutes on the pitch.

Though he may well need to force an exit this summer and Spurs chairman Daniel Levy ought to cash in before his value sinks even further under Mourinho.

AND in other news, Spurs handed Sergio Reguilon transfer boost…

Sheffield Wednesday will begin a new era this evening as Darren Moore takes the helm for his first game in charge of the Owls, after Dejphon Chansiri brought him in as the club’s new manager.

The 46-year-old arrives from nearby League One promotion chasers Doncaster Rovers, where he had implemented a progressive attacking brand of football, something that will vastly different to his predecessor, Tony Pulis, at Hillsborough Stadium.

Indeed, he leaves behind the division’s third-highest goalscorers to take over at this sinking ship. There will surely be changes afoot, and as such, long-serving centre-back Tom Lees could be most in danger given the likely change in system.

On the Chalkboard

‘His teams are renowned for playing an attractive, entertaining style of play,’ wrote YorkshireLive reporter Dom Howson following Moore’s appointment on Monday morning.

As per WhoScored, we can see that his Rovers side set-up to play from the back with 73% of their possession coming from their own third, or the middle-third, of the pitch whilst 72% of their goals have been scored from open play, which reinforces that high-intensity build up.

They also manage 12.9 shots per game, compared to the Owls’ appalling 8.7 per outing, so clearly, they do something right in attack given the limited time they spend in the final third and off the ball.

This is where Wednesday’s centre-backs will prove crucial and certainly why the calamitous Lees could be at risk.

Aside from goalkeepers and those with fewer than ten starts, the former club captain ranks third-bottom for passing accuracy this season (66.2%) behind Liam Palmer (63.8%) and Callum Paterson (53.9%), via WhoScored.

The 30-year-old also averages 2.7 long balls per game, the most of any Owls defender, and that won’t be something that pleases Moore as only one of his former defenders matches this number, meaning he clearly would favour the easy ball to midfield rather than hoofing it up the pitch.

Lees, who is valued at £2.25m by Transfermarkt and reportedly earns a whopping £22k-per-week in Yorkshire, has come under fire from several sections of the Hillsborough faithful in recent months.

Reactions have ranged from the extreme – one dubbed him “brain dead” and another called him a “disgrace” – to the less-so with a further fan simply asking the club to get rid of him in the summer.

As outlined in the summer, Lees’ performances regressed last season, and evidently, not much has improved as he’s part of the starting XI that sees the Owls in the relegation zone, having leaked 38 goals this term.

The “true leader” is surely going to face a tough time of remaining in the line-up under Moore if he continues to be abysmal with the ball at his feet.

AND in other news, Sheffield Wednesday: Izzy Brown a big winner from Darren Moore appointment

Gary Mabbutt has told Football FanCast in an exclusive interview that Toby Alderweireld should be playing in every Tottenham Hotspur game when he’s fit.

The central defender has been in and out of Jose Mourinho’s team this season.

He was on the bench against Manchester City and West Ham United, with Spurs losing both games.

The Belgium international has returned for the last three games, against Burnley, Fulham, and Crystal Palace, and Spurs have taken nine points from a possible nine.

Mourinho’s side have also conceded just one goal, a thumping header from Palace striker Christian Benteke in the 4-1 win for Tottenham, and Mabbutt has been so impressed with the 32-year-old that he believes he should be the “lynchpin” of the backline.

Indeed, Davinson Sanchez has looked far more settled alongside Alderweireld, with Eric Dier dropping to the bench.

Speaking to FFC, Mabbutt said: “He was one of the top defenders in the Premier League over a number of seasons. For me, again, it’s all about managers seeing everything, but what he has achieved during his time at Spurs over the years, Toby Alderweireld should be the lynchpin of our defence.

“With the experience he’s got, the knowledge he’s got, he should be the one.

“Whether he’s got Sergio (Reguilon) to his left and or Matt (Doherty) to his right, or Sanchez, or Eric or Joe Rodon, whoever alongside him, he should be your lynchpin that controls that area.

“He’s got Pierre (Emile Hojbjerg) in front of him, with Hugo (Lloris) behind you, those six are basically the crux of whether the team will be a success. If you stop conceding soft goals, stop giving goals away, stop giving opponents the opportunities, then that is what it’s all about.

“Now, to have a player like Toby in there who you can make the lynchpin, make him dictate that area, he controls his defence. Give him that responsibility, give him that privilege of being able to be the one to actually control that in there.

“Show Toby all those games over the years of how fantastic he’s been. He can still be the same player. He’s been coming in and out at times, but no make him the one that, okay, you’re in control of this. It puts more responsibility upon him, but players like that responsibility.

“I’d like to see him in that role.”

Spurs are next in action against Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League before taking on Arsenal in the north London derby next Sunday.

It remains to be seen if Alderweireld will be selected for both games, but one has to feel that he will be playing in at least one of those encounters.

Tottenham Hotspur youngster Dane Scarlett is enjoying a superb season with the Spurs academy and based on his current progress, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he starts to feature regularly in the first-team in the next couple of seasons.

The 16-year-old featured in the first-team during pre-season and was rewarded with his professional debut in the 4-0 win against Ludogorets in the Europa League group stages earlier in the season.

The striker has contributed an impressive 19 goals and four assists in just 15 appearances for the U’18 side so far this season, whilst he also has two goals in two appearances in the Premier League 2.

Last season we saw Troy Parrott touted as the potential long-term replacement for Harry Kane but the Republic of Ireland international has disappointed in his loan spell with Millwall so far this season, having failed to score in 13 appearances for the Championship side.

Although he is only 18 himself, it might not be too long until Scarlett overtakes him at the pecking order at Spurs, and he is clearly turning heads at the North London club, having managed to score five goals in the 6-2 win against Newport County in the FA Youth Cup recently.

Football.London journalist Alasdair Gold was quick to praise the 16-year-old in a recent article, suggesting that those at the club feel he could be a ‘real star of the future.’

He also lauded the youngster on Twitter after he scored past Petr Cech in an U23 game against Chelsea, dubbing him the “record-breaking teenager” in reference to him becoming the youngest ever player to feature in a game for Spurs’ senior team earlier in the season.

Although this record was surpassed by Alfie Devine when he appeared in the 5-0 win against Marine, Scarlett remains the youngest ever player to feature in Europe for Spurs, and if his form with the academy sides continues, it won’t be too long until he makes his second appearance for Mourinho’s side.

Certainly, it seems as if Scarlett could quickly surpass Parrott as the one to watch in Spurs’ academy unless the 18-year-old starts to find the net in the Championship.

AND, in other news… Levy swoop for teen prodigy could spell trouble for £18m-rated Spurs gem Jose is “so happy” with 

Despite there still being plenty of games left to play in the current Scottish Premiership season, Celtic undoubtedly will already have one eye on the next campaign.

Neil Lennon’s side are in the midst of their worst period in recent history, seeing their ten-in-a-row hopes go up in smoke and having to watch Rangers run away with the title.

But ahead of their Scottish Premiership clash against Kilmarnock tonight, the Hoops could take an important step to realising a brighter future by giving one of their stand-out young talents a chance to shine: Stephen Welsh.

The 21-year-old has played just 218 minutes of league football this season, and has hardly put a foot wrong, including a fine display in the Old Firm clash against Rangers – speaking on A Celtic State of Mind podcast, Paul John Dykes thought he had an “excellent game” against Steven Gerrard’s men.

Writing in a post-match Q&A for The Athletic last year, Kieran Devlin described him as a “very intelligent and modern defender, not just a bruiser”.

The Hoops have had to bear witness to Shane Duffy taking to the old-fashioned approach a bit too much this season, showing little poise on the ball and invariably hoofing it into row Z or trying to play it long – his total of 3.8 long balls per game ranks him fourth in the entire Celtic squad, whilst his pass accuracy is the worst of any centre-back.

It’s no surprise that many Celtic fans have been frustrated with Lennon’s refusal to give Welsh a genuine chance in the first-team, instead sticking with Duffy through his woeful performances, and shoehorning Bitton – a natural midfielder – into the centre of defence.

The 6 foot 3 Welsh is the man Lennon should be building Celtic’s future around, whether he remains the club’s manager for the long-term or not.

The rebuild needs to start here, and it needs to be centred around players who could form the spine of this Hoops team for the next several years.

Welsh falls into that category, just like the 22-year-old Ismaila Soro. The latter’s already made his mark on this side and ousted Scott Brown.

Now it’s surely time for Welsh to be given the same opportunity, starting with a game against Kilmarnock tonight.

Crystal Palace are back in action this afternoon, as they take on Premier League strugglers Sheffield United in an empty Selhurst Park stadium on Saturday.

Roy Hodgson’s side held high-flying Leicester City to a hard-fought draw last time out and the Palace boss is expected to rotate his squad before they face the Blades.

He may look to keep most of the same team in place for what will be a tough test for the Eagles, having narrowly edged past Chris Wilder’s side on both of their past two occasions with a slender 1-0 lead.

Here is Football FanCast’s predicted starting line-up, which sees Hodgson make four changes from the nail-biting draw with the Foxes.

Despite failing to keep a clean sheet since the start of this season, Vicente Guaita will start in goal behind a back four consisting of Patrick van Aanholt, James Tomkins, Cheikhou Kouyate and Nathaniel Clyne.

Maybe Tyrick Mitchell could keep his place, but Van Aanholt has started nine out of his ten top-flight appearances this season and is likely to start at left-back.

Luka Milivojevic and James McArthur should resume their partnership in the midfield, which means there is no place for Jairo Riedewald, despite his latest showing against Leicester.

It’s fair to say that Jeffrey Schlupp struggled against Aston Villa, so Hodgson could be tempted to bring Eberechi Eze back to the left and keep Andros Townsend on the right wing, with Wilfried Zaha likely to lead the line as an inside forward upfront.

Likewise, the Palace boss has every right to feel let down by Christian Benteke, who offered very little going forwards against the Foxes, so he could hand Michy Batshuayi a surprise start alongside Zaha instead.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson suffers cruel blow as key man ruled out vs Sheff Utd due to injury…

A third-choice goalkeeper should never really a problematic position for any club, but Tottenham Hotspur are merely wasting finances with Paulo Gazzaniga.

The Argentine shot-stopper is thought to be on around £25k-per-week in north London and has quickly become a forgotten man since the arrival of Joe Hart in the summer.

Indeed, the free-agent was signed by Jose Mourinho and has since become a reliable back-up to Hugo Lloris, starting eight matches across the Europa League and FA Cup.

As a result, Gazzaniga, who played a heft chunk of last season in the Frenchman’s absence, is yet to play at all this campaign. In fact, he’s only made a Spurs matchday squad once in 31 outings.

It just seems pointless keeping him around when an academy glovesman can fill that void and still gain valuable experience for the U23 squad.

The 29-year-old outcast deputised for Lloris in 25 matches in 2019/20 but only managed to keep five clean sheets, per Transfermarkt.

Whilst since arriving from Southampton and thus reuniting with Mauricio Pochettino in 2017 for £2m, he’s made only 37 appearances, so he’s pretty much being paid a salary for doing very little, if not nothing at all.

Mourinho did praise him during a run of matches last season, dubbing him “magic hands,” whilst the man he replaced once lauded him “fantastic,” and claimed there was no doubt over his ability.

He’s not even made their Europa League squad either, which speaks volumes on how Mourinho must rate his third-choice goalkeeper.

As does the fact that a player released by Premier League strugglers Burnley has been able to easily usurp him in the pecking order, almost in a flash.

Which is why it would be a smart decision to cash in on him before the transfer window draws to a close in two weeks time – according to Eurosport’s Dean Jones, the one-time international is ‘likely’ to leave the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this month.

A wise decision for someone who is merely robbing Spurs chairman Daniel Levy blind at the minute. In the summer, both Merseyside clubs Liverpool and Everton were thought to be keen on signing him, so he surely wouldn’t be short of suitors.

Having wasted a total of £5.5m on the Spurs outcast over the past three-and-a-half years, it’s time for Levy to move him on.

AND in other news, Levy could secure Spurs a perfect Eriksen replacement in “extraordinary” £44m maestro…

West Brom will need to make the most of the January transfer window if they are to survive in the Premier League this season, but sporting and technical director Luke Dowling must make a more beneficial long-term move regardless of future division…

What’s the word?

Throughout the summer, Albion were linked with a move for Queens Park Rangers sensation Bright Osayi-Samuel with the reliable Joseph Masi at the Express & Star confirming that the 22-year-old was someone they were closely monitoring.

The attacking midfielder saw a £5m move to Belgian outfit Club Brugge collapse, which sparked interest from the Baggies as well as SPFL giants Celtic.

Football Insider then claimed in October that Osayi-Samuel rejected a new contract, meaning he’s very much likely to leave on a free at the end of the season – or perhaps on the cheap this winter.

An absolute steal for someone

This is where the West Brom hierarchy has to strike – whether that be trying to claim him in January or in the summer – either would help them out substantially.

Osayi-Samuel was perhaps QPR’s unsung hero alongside Eberechi Eze last term, the new Palace star certainly took most of the plaudits. In 34 league starts, the young dynamo scored five goals and provided eight assists.

Whilst this season, he has improved statistically, averaging more dribbles (three), shots (1.4) and key passes (1.3) per game, via WhoScored.

It’s no wonder Mark Warburton is still using him despite the contractual situation. He once dubbed his attacking maestro a “real handful” who has “sheer pace which terrifies defenders.”

Even former England boss Steve McClaren has lauded the 22-year-old, he said: “He’s going to be a real star of the future. He’s not just got speed, he’s got that end product. He can cross, get assists and can score.”

He has often been deployed on the right flank, a weak spot for Albion right now, but can also play in the middle and on the other flank too.

It seems like a no-brainer to reignite that interest when the window opens in just two months time. He’d be an absolute bargain to secure on a freebie.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Carlton Palmer lauds Albion’s “fantastic talent”…

According to TEAMtalk, Benfica are interested in signing Glen Kamara from Glasgow Rangers.

What’s the word?

The 27-cap Finland international has been in such fine form so far this season as Steven Gerrard’s side sit at the top of the Scottish Premiership and qualified for the knockout stages of the Europa League.

It’s perhaps hardly surprising other clubs have begun to take notice of the midfielder, with TEAMtalk claiming their Europa League rivals have entered the race to sign Kamara amid interest from Crystal Palace, Everton, Newcastle, Sheffield United and Southampton.

The report adds they have all been closely monitoring his situation with the winter transfer market set to open in just under a month’s time.

Keep Kamara at all costs!

Whilst Alfredo Morelos has also been linked with a move away from Ibrox in recent months – with recent reports revealing Lille have a longstanding interest in the Colombia international – losing Kamara would arguably be an even bigger blow for Steven Gerrard.

The 25-year-old has been the most vital cog in Gerrard’s side so far this season and is one of the main reasons why Rangers are at the top of the table and in the Europa League last 32.

In 20 appearances for the Gers this season, the defensive midfielder has scored one goal in all competitions, whilst he is averaging 2 tackles and 1.6 interceptions per game in the Europa League, via WhoScored.

Kamara has consistently been one of Gerrard’s star performers and will no doubt continue to play a key part in their future success – if he stays at the club, of course.

It’s no wonder former professional footballers like Neil Murray have swooned over the midfielder, with the ex-Rangers star saying “he was excellent at the weekend and he really is an intelligent footballer,” which is precisely why Ross Wilson can’t afford to lose the colossus, who currently earns wages worth £6,200-per-week.

Kamara’s immense work rate would simply be too hard to replace, and he has made it clear he is happy to stay with the 54-time Scottish champions, who are in no rush to sell him anytime soon.

AND in other news, Steven Gerrard must bench Glasgow Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos for the foreseeable future…

West Bromwich Albion are in a desperate race against time to secure Slaven Bilic a new forward.

Karlan Grant remains the top striker target but Huddersfield Town are asking for a deal in excess of £18m whilst the Baggies have also been linked to AFC Bournemouth frontman Joshua King too.

Even if the club manage to secure one of them, the Croatian boss ought to consider promoting from within as it’s clear that Albion flops Charlie Austin and Kenneth Zohore have no long-term future at the club.

Whereas their impressive academy setup is full of promising talent with bags of potential – none more so than Rico Richards, who features in the Guardian’s ‘Next Generation’ list this week.

Back in August, the 17-year-old signed his first professional contract at the Hawthorns despite interest from the Premier League and even across Europe.

Ben Fisher claims the young sensation can be deployed through the middle or out wide, adding: “he has a creative eye in terms of finding others but is equally capable of carving openings for himself.”

Richards even started to make soundwaves on the training pitch, it’s thought that both Charlie Austin and Chris Brunt were “wowed” by his performances, so much so that they spoke to coaching staff about him.

The likes of Izzy Brown, Jonathan Leko and Morgan Rogers all made their first-team debuts before their 17th birthday, so Bilic should have no qualms in trusting Richards to take the step up.

Top-flight big dogs, including Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Spurs, all wanted a piece of the teenager before he signed that deal according to reports so it’s time to repay that faith in him, especially during this mini-crisis.

Hopefully, Albion give him this chance so that he can become the new Kyle Edwards or Saido Berahino rather than a forgotten starlet like Brown, Jerome Sinclair, Yan Dhanda or a Louie Barry.

AND in other news, Albion’s £40k-per-week forgotten man has been one massive disaster…