(Credit: Getty Images)

Oliver Walton

Sun 3 August 2025 19:42, UK

Dele Alli wants to return to English football as he nears an exit from Italian side Como, and a move to a certain newly-promoted Premier League side could be the ideal opportunity to revive his career.

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Alli’s outstanding spell at Tottenham must feel like a lifetime ago for the former England international, who has battled injury issues, form troubles and personal struggles over the last few years.

The attacking midfielder spent seven years with Spurs between 2015 and 2022, during which he won the PFA Young Player of the Year award in consecutive seasons and played 37 times for England.

Alli was one of the most highly-rated prospects in the world in his early years in North London, but he became less influential as time passed, and soon moved to Everton in 2022.

An injury-hit two-year stay saw him make just 13 appearances for the Merseyside outfit, and after a poor loan spell at Besiktas, Alli left Everton last summer at the end of his contract, then joining Como in January 2025.

Alli moved to Cesc Fabregas’ Como just after the turn of the year in hope of reviving his struggling career at 29-years-old, but things have not gone to plan and he now faces finding yet another new club.

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Fabregas handed him his debut against AC Milan in March after some time building up his fitness in training, but Alli was sent off in his first senior game in over two years after a bad challenge on compatriot Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

That horror display marked his first and final game of the campaign for Como, and with the new season beckoning, Italian outlet La Gazzetta dello Sport recently revealed that Alli has been training separately from the club’s senior squad, and is weighing up whether to retire from the sport at just 29-years-old as he is not in Fabregas’ plans.

The Telegraph (3 August) have reported that, contrary to reports in Italy, the ex-Tottenham star is not considering retiring from the game despite his move to the Serie A club not working out.

Instead, they state that Alli wants to carry on playing and is considering his options, which include a potential return to English football, as he remains determined to make something of the latter stages of his career.

Burnley are preparing for a return to the Premier League after finishing second in the Championship last season, and with less than two weeks until the new season begins, their squad is looking quite threadbare in terms of quality in attacking areas.

The Clarets have signed right-winger Loum Tchaouna from Lazio this summer, while Marcus Edwards and Jaidon Anthony have returned on permanent deals after respective loans from Sporting CP and Leeds, but their lack of numbers in central areas, particularly midfield, should be pretty alarming.

Hannibal Mejbri and former Aston Villa youngster Aaron Ramsey are their only recognised number 10’s as it stands, and neither have extensive top-flight experience, nor the quality required to fire a team to safety in the upcoming season.

Alli obviously has his doubters right now after so many years of struggle, but his talent and ability has always been clear, and a move to Turf Moor could be what he needs to kickstart a revival at 29.

AppearancesGoalsAssists1945135Alli’s Premier League career stats

Scott Parker is a keen motivator of players down on their luck, and has space in his squad for him given their lack of numbers, while Burnley have already shown their willingness to take a chance on an outcasted player this summer by signing Man City’s Kyle Walker.

Financials should not be an issue, as Como want him out and Alli is in no position to demand high wages, so if the Clarets are happy to take the former Spurs man and give him a chance to prove himself, then this move could turn out to be massively beneficial for all parties involved.

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