Dele Alli still missing his mojo as he faces emotional Spurs reunion

Dele Alli first saw the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium at the end of March 2019 – just before the opening game against Crystal Palace. He did not want to see it half-done; he had chosen to wait until it was finished in order to enjoy the full impact. It would blow him away.

Inside the empty bowl, Alli’s eyes were drawn towards the 17,500-capacity South Stand and he knew what he was most looking forward to – seeing it packed and scoring in front of it. It is reflective of how Alli’s Spurs career fizzled out that he managed to do so only twice – the late equaliser against Watford in October 2019 and the touch and finish in the win over Bournemouth the following month.

The pandemic got in the way. His penalty in the 7-2 Europa League victory over Maccabi Haifa in October 2020 was witnessed by zero fans and it should be said that Alli scored six goals at the other end – mainly with supporters in attendance.

But as Alli prepares to return with Everton for Monday night’s Premier League fixture, the feeling is that professional life got in his way, things becoming too heavy and serious, stifling the joy and mischief that had made him one of the symbols of the cherished team that Mauricio Pochettino built.

The Alli who was shuffled out of the door to Goodison Park at the end of January on a permanent and initially free transfer bore no relation to the one who had arrived at Spurs in the summer of 2015, aged 19, and proceeded to fire a meteoric rise. For the Spurs fans who adored him and will always remember him with fondness, it is a source of profound regret.

Alli’s connection with Pochettino and the Spurs support was instant and it was based on two things: an insatiable hunger to prove that he belonged at the highest level and