Former Salford City manager Karl Robinson has revealed he offered Dele Alli the chance to join the League Two club, but the ex-Tottenham star never responded as he continues his search for a new team.
Alli, a two-time PFA Young Player of the Year winner, has been without a club for a year after leaving Como prematurely. His last appearance for the Italian side lasted just 10 minutes before he was sent off for a dangerous challenge on Ruben Loftus-Cheek during a 2-1 defeat to AC Milan.
Chance Encounter Led to Offer
Robinson, who was sacked by Salford after losing the play-off final last season, said he met Alli by chance in a gym in June and invited him to join the club. Speaking on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, Robinson said: "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'."
Alli never responded to the offer, and Robinson believes the player's mindset may cost him future opportunities. "The reason these players are these players is because they have a self-belief and a poorly-developed sense of fear," Robinson said. "I guarantee if you sit down now, he would probably say he could turn around the fortunes of Man Utd. Because that's how those real top players who produce their moments of magic think."
Decline from Top-Level Success
Alli rose through the ranks at MK Dons before shining for Tottenham under Mauricio Pochettino, challenging for the title. He later moved to Everton, Besiktas, and then Como, where he signed an 18-month deal but made just one appearance. The 37-cap England international was once cited by Sir Alex Ferguson as a player Jose Mourinho should sign at Manchester United.
Robinson expressed surprise that Alli remains without a club, saying: "I don't know why he is not playing football. This is a tremendous young man. He's struggled through and rose above it and became the person that he is."
