West Ham urged to seal £0 deal for ex-Spurs star as talkSPORT pundit drops claim | OneFootball

Tony Cascarino has discussed the possibility of Dele Alli signing for West Ham

Tony Cascarino has claimed that Dele Alli can reignite his career if West Ham tie him down to a contract.

The former Tottenham Hotspur playmaker has been back in training with the London outfit as he looks for his next club.

The 30-year-old has been without a club since departing Italian side Como at the end of 2024/25 after making just one Serie A appearance with the team.

Dele Alli came off the bench against AC Milan on 15 March 2024 and was shown a red card after just nine minutes of action in Cesc Fàbregas’ side.

It has been a difficult few years for the former England international, who has also played for Everton and Besiktas since his exit from Spurs.

And now he is training with West Ham as he looks to get back up to full fitness again, with a view to potentially finding a new club.

West Ham told to sign Dele Alli

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Cascarino has claimed that Dele just needs something to be excited about again in order to get his career back on track after a difficult number of years after his exit from Spurs.

He believes that a club like West Ham could be what he needs to turn things around, suggesting that the fans getting behind him would give him the lift he needs to regain his motivation.

"Well, he needs to be excited,” said Cascarino, via Talksport.

"He needs something to give him the lift of reigniting his career, because it's very hard for him to go to a club that's not going to have a huge fan base who can lift him.

"He needs that because I just don't see a small club option for Dele Alli.

"I think if he can get excited by something, he can go, do you know what, I'm going to give my heart and soul, and I'm going to kick football back in the teeth here and prove to people how good I am.

"And that could be the sort of signing that West Ham could make, only he's got to do a lot of proving."

Dele made the move to Spurs from MK Dons in the 2015 summer transfer window, and immediately made a big impact under Mauricio Pochettino.

He contributed 50 goals and 34 assists from seven seasons in the Premier League with the London outfit, helping them come second in the table in 2017, as well as reach the 2019 Champions League final.

But in two years at Everton, Dele managed just 13 appearances in the league, and he failed to register a single goal or assist.

West Ham’s transfer business

West Ham have had a quiet transfer window so far this summer, with Joel Veltman being their first major signing.

The Hammers have until 1 September to complete any remaining business, although Dele can be registered after this deadline due to him being a free agent.

Nuno Espirito Santo will want to bolster his squad for the campaign ahead, with his sights set on leading the club to promotion.

West Ham begin their Championship season on 16 August with a trip to face Burnley.

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Dele Alli signing would have to make sense for West Ham

If West Ham were to offer Dele a chance to join the first team, then it would have to be on either a low wage or a pay per play basis because it’d be a big risk to tie him down to a deal otherwise.

The Hammers are seeking midfield reinforcements, and it’s possible the 30-year-old could have an impact on the team if he could get back to his best.

And perhaps competing at a Championship level would help him rediscover his best form after a difficult few years in Serie A and the Premier League.

However, it’s still difficult to imagine Dele getting back to his best at this point as it’s been so long now since we last saw the best from him.