Former Premier League ace Carlton Palmer believes Dele Alli and Donny van de Beek ‘can definitely work’ in the same side following their respective moves to Everton.
The creative midfielders arrived at Goodison Park from Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United in the January transfer window and have already settled into life on Merseyside well.
Alli signed a two-and-a-half-year contract after falling down the pecking order at Spurs, completing a deal that could see Everton pay up to £40 million for his services, although a large amount of that fee is dependent on performance-related clauses.
Meanwhile, Van de Beek – who is valued at £22.5m – joined the Toffees on loan until the end of the season in an attempt to reignite his stalling career following a frustrating 18 months at United.
But the creative talents are yet to feature in the same starting lineup under new manager Frank Lampard, despite both players making three appearances in the Premier League already.
Questions have been raised regarding Alli’s and Van de Beek’s ability to feature alongside each other given their similarities and how the attack-minded pair prefer to be awarded license to play in a more advanced position.
According to Transfermarkt, Alli – who is valued at £22.5m – has played the majority of his games as a No.10, making 171 appearances just behind the striker, while Van de Beek has done so on 95 occasions.
Everton are currently embroiled in a relegation battle after collecting just 22 points from their 23 Premier League games, leaving them just two places above the bottom three.
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Nevertheless, Palmer believes Alli and Van de Beek can work as an engine room pairing even though both
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