It had to happen, for the sake of Dele Alli’s career as much as Frank Lampard’s need for as speedy an overhaul as possible at Everton.
The Tottenham playmaker’s move to Goodison Park, initially on a free transfer with add-ons dependent on performance and appearances, brings an end to a seven-year spell in north London which was once spectacular, but has since been marked by stagnation and then decline.
That might make the 25-year-old an unusual poster signing to kickstart Lampard’s reign on Merseyside. Yet there are arguably few coaches better placed to help rejuvenate the former England international, given the similarity of their positions during Lampard’s own playing career.
There is also the example set by Lampard’s time managing Chelsea. Even if the job came too soon for him, the impact of a transfer embargo allowed him to put his trust in young midfielders like Mason Mount. They were given freedom, a license for individuality checked by guidance from one of the country’s greatest in their position. It’s exactly what Alli needs.
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At the same time, his pace had withered and the panache which once lit up White Hart Lane and beyond – the tricks, flicks, and overhead kicks – turned into mis-hit passes and squander. A player whose first touch as a professional footballer, as a substitute for MK Dons, was an audacious backheel, has quite evidently lost the basic joy of kicking a football.
The hope, for Lampard, is that his other major signing, Donny van de Beek (who has joined on loan from Manchester United) will provide the balance necessary for Alli to thrive. The Dutchman has never been so flamboyant but he is hugely influential as a pacesetter (when played regularly).
Allan would offer similar checks on Alli, occupying the holding role while he competes with Abdoulaye Doucouré and Andre Gomes for a freer role. Lampard will also have Tom Davies and Fabian Delph as options; Rafael Benitez did not utilise them, but nor did he seem to have any idea who he wanted to shoulder the greater responsibility going forward (if anyone).
On current evidence, Alli may not have the spark to make it happen. Three years ago, he admitted muscle injuries meant he “hadn’t scored as many goals or got as many assists”. He hoped he had been improving “defensively, in possession”, conscious that his statistics were dwindling.
Circumstances have made that difficult, though, and on several occasions he has been forced to play as a false nine, burdened with filling in for Kane out of position. There will be no need for that at Everton, who have four centre-forwards on the books.
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It is understandable if Toffees fans are a little hesitant. They lauded Colombian icon James Rodriguez, only for his spell to fizzle out through injury and for him to fly away without permission before the season had ended. Like James, Alli’s early career achievements, including back-to-back Young Player of the Year awards and a World Cup quarter-final goal, are no longer enough to sustain him.
In 2020, when Alli scored his 50th Premier League goal, it was remarked that he had achieved that feat faster than Lampard, Eden Hazard, Paul Scholes and Steven Gerrard. Two years on, and his tally now sits at 51.
To revive this stalling prodigy, Lampard is unlikely to pull the same tricks as Jose Mourinho, leaving him out of matchday squads, berating him as a “f___ing lazy guy” in front of his teammates (and the Amazon cameras). Alli has always benefited from an arm around the shoulder, blossoming under the more paternal Mauricio Pochettino and losing inspiration at Spurs under three permanent managers in two years.
Jesse Lingard is an obvious parallel; maybe a belated one now that he is struggling for minutes at Manchester United once again. But his brief loan at West Ham resurrected the form of a player who was long assumed to have burned out.
If Alli can have half that impact under Lampard, Everton will have got the best out of what is, deep down, a very special player.
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