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Dele Alli

We really are stockpiling young English talent aren't we? Funny how everyone tosss over Southampton but we currently are streets ahead with bright technical players and giving them a chance in our side
 
We really are stockpiling young English talent aren't we? Funny how everyone tosss over Southampton but we currently are streets ahead with bright technical players and giving them a chance in our side

Pritchard, Onomah, Alli and Winks as a future England midfield in 4-5 years? Oduwa is the same calibre too, though I think he's opted to represent Nigeria

We are slightly unbalanced towards midfielders though - Veljkovic is the only defender on the same level and we've got no exciting forwards in the older age groups.
 
We play false 9s in youth games so I wonder if this is something were looking into for the main team? Crowd out midfield yet have a flowing attack.
 
We play false 9s in youth games so I wonder if this is something were looking into for the main team? Crowd out midfield yet have a flowing attack.

Isn't that mainly out of necessity though because our youth strikers are not up to the standard of the other players we have coming through?
 
Isn't that mainly out of necessity though because our youth strikers are not up to the standard of the other players we have coming through?

Akindiyani and Oduwa can play as strikers can they not?
 
Looking forward to keeping an eye on how he does for the rest of the year. I'm sure windycoys will be watching closely as well.
 
Liked his interview on Spurs TV...Seems a good lad ....Welcome to Dele....

Can we call him Delboy ?
 
Pritchard, Onomah, Alli and Winks as a future England midfield in 4-5 years? Oduwa is the same calibre too, though I think he's opted to represent Nigeria

We are slightly unbalanced towards midfielders though - Veljkovic is the only defender on the same level and we've got no exciting forwards in the older age groups.
Cameron Carter-Vickers is certainly a huge prospect.... Admittedly he isn't in the older age groups age wise, but he certainly is in terms of his physical stature and his ability. Dominic Ball is another decent centre half in our youth ranks.
 
Dele Alli, he definately got a strange name. It sounds more like some kind of fruit or food item. My nephews age 8 and 11 initially found the name funny but then started to fight who should be his fan !:D
 
MK Dons live tonight away to Bradford on SS

Good chance to see what this kid Dele Alli is all about
 
Bamidele Alli with the only goal so far.

And just as I write that some clam equalize for Bradford.
 
Been thinking a bit on Alli.

I've been a bit skeptical about high profile signings of teenagers not yet good enough to slot straight into the first team for some time. Sure there are success stories, but for every one of those there are plenty of failures and I've been wondering why. I think getting a big money, big wage move to a big club can be such a big positive experience that it has a negative impact on determination and effort put in during training, perhaps even professionalism. A kind of "I made it" point, a time for celebration, at a key time in a player's development where the only thing it's really time for is a lot more hard work.

I think this is a very good time for Alli to sign for us though. We've shown that we can develop youngsters, and we've shown that we can turn a high profile teenage signing into a true superstar. But more than that right now we're at a point where youngsters are breaking through left right and centre, thanks to a boatload of hard work and what has been reported as continued hard work. We have a manager that demands nothing less than full dedication, and a squad that's perhaps a bit fractured, but where the majority are responding really well to that approach.

Alli will come into our club knowing how much hard work pays off, and seeing every day how hard the players that have made it are working. Exactly what's needed in that kind of situation I think.
 
I think it's fair to have some skepticism about these kind of signings but the stature of our club alongside what we're trying to do, it's not possible for us to wait for the talent to naturally rise, ie if Barkley were to have left Everton last summer, would it have been to us or most likely to City? We have to get to the players a step earlier than City do, our big money buys have looked a bit sketchy at times but when we've found younger talent and developed them we benefit more.

There's always going to be some successes and some failures and we hope that every detail is considered when buying the player, and I agree with what you say about it being a good time for Alli to join us.

Potentially would his near future with us depend on our European competition? The main benefit from Europa league for me has been for young hungry players to get a chance to establish themselves as well as fringe player such as Stambouli to get back to match fitness. If we're in Europa then there realistically will be much more game time for players like Alli, Pritchard and Carroll to come in and perform when maybe they wouldn't get the same chance they would have if we had a high profile tie against Wolfsburg or Galatasaray for example.

I'm not saying that I would prefer us to be in the EL instead of the CL but there are benefits to it, especially at a time when we've got plenty of talent that needs easing in to the new way of doing things around the club.
 
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