Dele Alli’s former boss Karl Robinson has revealed he offered the midfielder a route back into football at Salford City this summer.Ex-Tottenham star Alli has now been without a club since September 2025 after having his contract terminated at Como.Alli was last on the books at Como – featuring just once for the Italian outfitGettyOnce regarded among the best young midfielders in the world, the 30-year-old has been targeting a return to the game this summer.He was first linked with a move to Barnet after using the League Two side’s training facilities, but a deal never materialised, and was later pictured training with semi-professional side Windsor & Eton.However, Alli currently remains without a club, having last played a competitive game in March 2025 – when he was sent off just nine minutes into his Como debut.It’s a far cry from the ex-England star’s glory days at Tottenham, where he won PFA Young Player of the Year award twice.Alli turned down football returnWhile finding a club has proved challenging for Alli, his first ever manager has revealed he previously offered him a chance at Salford.Ex-MK Dons boss Robinson gave Alli his senior debut as a 16-year-old at Stadium MK, before overseeing his development that eventually earned him a move to Tottenham in 2015.Until earlier this summer, Robinson was in charge of League Two outfit Salford, where he looked to reunite with his former protégé.Speaking to Boyle Sports and Footy Accumulators’ podcast No Tippy Tappy Football, he shared: “If a job comes up, Dele Alli is always more than welcome to come anywhere I go, if he wants to.“All I can say is that I hope he’s well, I hope he’s healthy, and I hope he’s in a good place.“If he ticks all those boxes, I don’t care about whether he’s a footballer. I worry about Dele as a young man – he is someone that I will always be there to pick up the phone to.Alli scored 24 goals in 88 games for MK Dons – all of them coming under RobinsonGettyRobinson was sacked by Salford in June after two seasons in chargeGetty“I would 100 per cent give him a chance.“I saw him in the gym in June, and I told him to come to Salford. But he probably looked at me and went, ‘gaffer, come on, I’m not doing that.”While Robinson’s sacking by Salford this summer now rules out a straightforward move for Alli, he will surely be keeping an eye out on wherever his old boss goes next.But the 46-year-old coach also claimed that the midfielder will still have the self belief that he can play at the highest level.Naming Manchester United as an example – who are currently struggling under Michael Carrick – Robinson insisted Alli would back himself to transform the club’s fortunes.He continued: “The reason these players are these players is because they have a self-belief and a poorly-developed sense of fear. Alli was one of the Premier League’s star players during his time at TottenhamGetty“I guarantee if you sit down now, he would probably say he could turn around the fortunes of Man United. “Because that’s how those real top players who produce their moments of magic think.”Given Alli’s rapid rise in his early career, it isn’t hard to see why he would still believe in his ability to make an impact at the highest level.He previously starred in a Spurs side that reached the 2019 Champions League final and recorded a second place Premier League finish in 2017, scoring 67 goals in 269 games for the club.The two-time PFA Young Player of the Year was also part of England’s run to the 2018 World Cup semi-finals, but things later started to unravel.After leaving Spurs in 2022, a rapid decline followed with Alli enduring failed stints at Everton, Besiktas and Como.Alli has not played in the Premier League since 2023 – during his spell at Everton when he played just 13 timesGettyIn 2023, Alli opened up on the mental health struggles and childhood trauma which halted his progress, while injuries have also played a part.Robinson discussed his recent struggles, admitting that despite this, Alli’s undeniable talent should have seem him find a club by now,He said: “When this boy left MK Dons at 18 to go to Spurs, he was getting compared to Lionel Messi, David Beckham, Zinedine Zidane, James Rodriguez. “To see his rise with the national team and with Spurs, and looking to where he is now – and I hope he listens to this – I don’t know why he’s not playing football. “He is a tremendous young man who has come through a lot of situations that he’s struggled through, but he’s risen above it to become the person he is.”