Things are finally looking up for Dele Alli after worst possible start to life at Besiktas

To say that Dele Alli has endured a difficult start to life at Besiktas would be a massive understatement.

Once widely regarded as English football’s brightest starlet, the 26-year-old’s career has sadly fallen off the proverbial cliff in recent years.

Tottenham eventually lost faith in Dele’s ability to turn things around in north London and sold him to Everton 12 months ago for a transfer fee that had the potential to rise to £40 million if certain performance benchmarks were met.

But the chances of Spurs receiving the full £40 million are, it’s fair to say, extremely slim – and that’s putting it mildly.

The former England regular made 11 appearances, and just one start, for the Toffees during his first half-season at Goodison Park.

Every club in Europe would have jumped at the opportunity to sign Dele several years earlier, but in August 2022 he found himself loaned out to Turkish side Besiktas.

While his debut with his current employers was promising, it didn’t take long for things to go downhill – rapidly.

In November, Besiktas boss Senol Gunes said of the midfielder: “Let’s not discuss Dele Alli as a player, but he is below expectations in terms of efficiency.”

His career then hit a new low in December when he was subbed off after just 29 minutes after Besiktas went 2-0 down to a third division side.

Besiktas, without Dele on the pitch, went on to win the cup tie 4-2.

Read more: Dele Alli’s career hits new low after humiliating Besiktas substitution

Dele Alli: The start of his resurgence?

The England international has barely featured since, aside from a couple of sub appearances.

But he was given another opportunity to prove his worth on Friday when Besiktas took on mid-table Alanyaspor in Istanbul.

Deployed in the No. 10 position from the start, Dele went on to produce a Man of the Match performance, scoring Besiktas’ final goal in a 3-0 victory.

This is the first time we’ve seen Dele with a smile on his face for a long time and it’s brilliant to see.

#DeleAlli ❤️‍🔥 pic.twitter.com/bvCm3tmLio

— sema (@kendineadanmiss) January 28, 2023

An individual highlights package of his performance has emerged and it shows what Dele is capable of at his best. He’s still a player with so much ability.

Great to see him playing this well 👏 pic.twitter.com/aRvSA0hfUb

— Best of Football (@BestofFootball8) January 28, 2023

Besiktas fans showed their appreciation to the Englishman after he was subbed off in the 86th minute.

#DeleAlli pic.twitter.com/WWmllvn0cr

— klementayn (@klementaynsalag) January 27, 2023

And he playfully put his fingers to lips at the Besiktas fans during the post-match celebrations.

🥳 Beşiktaşlı futbolcular, taraftarlarıyla galibiyetin coşkusunu yaşıyor! #BJKvALY pic.twitter.com/B32OUp892G

— beIN SPORTS Türkiye (@beINSPORTS_TR) January 27, 2023

There’s nothing sadder in football than wasted talent, so fingers crossed this is the beginning of Dele’s resurgence.

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