Dele signed for Everton in the closing hours of the January transfer window, becoming the first permanent appearance under Lampard’s reign in charge of the Premier League side.
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All transfer transactions are done ahead of time
Frank Lampard’s previous comment on Dele Alli emerged after he signed the midfielder for Everton on the January transfer deadline date.
Dele joined the Toffees until the summer of 2024, lost at Tottenham during recent seasons.
Lampard hopes he can rediscover the form Dele showed at the start of his Spurs career, when he scored a respectable 46 goals in just three seasons from midfield.
His time at Tottenham busy after World Cup 2018 and he failed to impress under Jose MourinhoNuno Espirito Santo or Antonio Conte.
But Everton have now handed him a lifeline, and it will see him bonded with a former manager who has made no secret of his love for the England international.
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Back in April 2017, Dele played a key role in the 4-0 win over WatfordScored a great save to help his team take three points.
Lampard poured out his praise for Dele after that game, as he appeared on the Sky Sports programme. Goal on Sunday.
“Dele Alli is a special player. That’s for sure he was better than me when I was 20 years old,” said the new Everton manager.
“He is like a second striker at the moment. But I think it makes sense given the way they play and the quality around the box, he needs to be there all the time.
“He has a knack for running, he scores fantastic goals, he runs into the six-yard area and too many attacking midfield players come towards the penalty spot and stop and don’t go the extra mile.
“He has a bit of leadership. You talk about Hazard being probably the best player in the league, then Dele Alli is not far from him.
“Those are the runs that he does, when he’s running behind the people in the box, it’s special, it’s a small gift and he got it.”
An image was then shown to Lampard, highlighting how Dele contributed 40 goals before he turned 21st birthday, Chelsea on the contrary, the legend managed 15.
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Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images)
That gap in numbers led the Blues’ all-time top scorer to lean towards the then-Tottenham star for a successful career.
“He’s leading the game, even internationally, he looks so relaxed, I haven’t made my first England cap at that age, nowhere near,” said Lampard. added.
“It’s all about his growth from now on, he has all the tools, all the possibilities, just the way he goes now.
“But as a starting point, with that at 20, he has the world at his feet.
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Everton FC via Getty Images)
“For me it’s a bit of a problem, it’s the midfield players don’t score enough goals, I want people in the box, he’s the natural one to do that.”
While Dele’s career has gone downhill since those comments, he will be hoping that playing under the once lauded man can help revive him.
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