Once upon a time, the footballing world was at Dele Alli’s feet. A decade later, the Tottenham fan favourite is nowhere to be seen.After joining Tottenham from MK Dons, he broke through almost immediately into the first team under Mauricio Pochettino. He was crowned PFA Young Player of the Year in both 2016 and 2017 and had racked up 37 England caps by 2019, becoming part of the side the nation fell in love with under Gareth Southgate.As Tottenham’s official website said back then, his rise had been “nothing short of spectacular”.In recent years, though, Dele has been looking to find his place in the world he once was at the very top of. So, what happened?Photo by Michael Regan/Getty ImagesThe disappearance of Dele Alli after Tottenham exitAfter being an integral part of the Tottenham side that regularly qualified for the Champions League under Pochettino, things changed for Dele Alli when the Argentine left, and Jose Mourinho came in.It’s a clip that has been replayed many, many times since it’s aired in light of Dele’s struggles. In it, Mourinho seeks to build a relationship with him, raising his inconsistency and warning him that “Time flies and one day you will regret if you don’t reach what you can reach.”They would prove to be pretty prophetic remarks. Despite a bright start under the Portuguese, Dele eventually found himself falling out of favour and struggling to make much of an impact. So bad it was, he has since admitted he considered retirement.“I remember just looking in the mirror – I mean it sounds dramatic, but I was literally staring in the mirror – and I was asking if I could retire now, at 24, doing the thing I love. For me, that was heartbreaking to even have had that thought at 24, to want to retire,” he told Gary Neville on The Overlap podcast.Mourinho did leave, with the short-lived reign of Nuno Esporito Santo offering little in the way of a comeback for Dele. Under Antonio Conte, his Tottenham career only went one way, with opportunities harder and harder to come by until the exit door was opened to him in January 2022.In the 2016/17 season, he’d scored 18 goals. Just four seasons later, he was gone to Everton after 67 goals in 269 games for Spurs.Where did Dele Alli go after leaving Tottenham?“I’m here, and I’m looking to show what I can do and show everyone the best part of Dele,” he declared, joining the Toffees.With Frank Lampard as his new manager, Dele felt that sharing a position – with them both being attacking midfielders – there was every chance this was about to be a “perfect match”. Except, it wasn’t. He made just one start and 11 appearances in total, scoring no goals nor getting any assists. That brought about another move in the summer and a first taste of football outside of England, when he headed to Besiktas on loan.Come January, though, there were reports Besiktas were looking to cancel the loan after just five months. It started relatively well, with a goal in his second game before a hamstring strain ruled him out for the next two. By November, his coach, Senol Gunes was criticising him for performing ‘below expectations’ and the fans were jeering him in a cup game where he was taken off after just 30 minutes.There was no cancellation. But there was no real football either. And his season was ended through injury in April anyway.The “best part of Dele” was beginning to feel a long time ago now. His last appearance was February 2023. He would not step foot on a football pitch again until 2025.What Dele Alli told Gary NevilleSitting down with Gary Neville in the summer of 2023, Dele revealed much of what he had been dealing with, including a sleeping pill addiction and the fact he’d only just come out of rehab as he grappled with his mental health.“I’ve read so many stories about myself that’s not true at all,” he began. Returning from Turkey, he found out he’d need surgery for his injury, conceding he was in a bad place mentally, he took the brave step to check into a rehab facility for mental health.“They deal with like addiction, mental health and trauma because it was something that I felt like it was time for,” he explained. “I think with things like that, you can’t be told to go there, I think you have to know, and you have to make the decision yourself, otherwise it’s not going to work.”He spent six weeks there and said Everton were “amazing about it” and had supported him 100%. He then went on to admit his troubles had been going on “for a long time” without him necessarily realising it, with Dele instead taking action to try and numb the feelings he had.On football, he acknowledged how you have money, but it is still something difficult for people to understand until they’re in it, in terms of what it can do to you. “Rejection, just being told you’re not good enough, fighting every day. Even something like losing a game, it can affect you mentally, and you have to be ready, you have to be smiling the next day. When you’re not, it’s a problem.”He then went on to reflect on his childhood, which had been a source of trauma. This included being molested by his mum’s friend aged just six, being sent off to Africa to learn discipline and then being sent back, starting smoking at seven, dealing drugs at eight and being hung off a bridge by a man from the estate over from him at 11.He was adopted when aged 12 and spoke on the “amazing family” he’s had since but just four years later he was off into the world of professional football as a 16-year-old. The time in rehab in America had been hugely helpful in helping him tackle it all. “Even if you think you’re fine, you’ve got nothing to worry about. Going and speaking to someone and opening up will help you realise that.”He felt now he had the passion for football back and was ready to get out there and prove it.Dele set his sights on the 2026 World CupWorking his way back from hip and groin injuries, Dele had a reminder on his phone every single day: “World Cup 2026”. That was the aim. The fire within him. “I know where my level is,” he told Sky Sports.In December 2024, he left Everton. His contract had actually expired in the summer, but he’d still been training with them as he sought to build up his fitness. But, with the new year in sight, he felt it was “the right time for me to turn a new page”.That new page was Como in Italy under Cesc Fabregas.In January, he agreed an 18-month deal with the club and had a coach dedicated to helping him “rediscover his best form”. As a club, they wanted to provide a supportive environment for him, one where he could gradually integrate into the squad.His debut came in March, subbed on with 10 minutes to go, the first time he’d played competitive football in more than two years.He was sent off in stoppage time.He never played for Como again, and his contract was terminated in September. There was no England comeback at the 2026 World Cup, either.Once a Tottenham star, Dele Alli is now training at BarnetSince leaving Tottenham in 2022, Dele has made just 29 competitive appearances. That’s an average of seven appearances a year. But he’s not done yet.The next chapter of his footballing career has taken him back to London, with Barnet. He’d been using their facilities to train on his own and actually renting them out. “We don’t live in Disneyland down at our level so our lads have to pay their bills, pay their mortgage and we don’t get 10,000, 20,000 a game. There’s only a couple thousand we get,” Barnet manager, Dean Brennan told Talksport recently.Brennan also said he’d absolutely take signing Dele. “You’d be mad not to,” he added. Brennan reflected on Dele’s tough times and stressed, “Everyone deserves a second chance in life.”🎶 We’ve got………..🐝🟠⚫— Barnet FC 🐝 (@BarnetFC) September 25, 2026 The post What happened to Dele Alli? Tottenham icon trains with League Two Barnet 4 years later appeared first on Spurs Web.