Dele Alli ‘agrees’ deal to return to football after two-year absence | OneFootball

Dele Alli has reportedly agreed to sign a deal with Serie A outfit Como 1907, ending his two-year absence from football.

The midfielder, who has not played competitively since February 2023, will join the Italian side as a free agent following his release from Everton last summer.

The ex-Spurs player will sign an 18-month contract, with the option for a further year based on “appearances or availability” at Como, according to Fabrizio Romano. Additionally, they are looking to sign Barcelona player Alex Valle, who is on loan with Celtic.

The 28-year-old will link up with former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas, who was installed as the permanent first-team manager last July following a short spell as interim boss. The Spaniard is also a minority stakeholder in the club.

Dele Alli began training with Como last month in a bid to make his long-awaited return to football after injuries and off-field issues curtailed his once blossoming career.

“As widely published, 2025 may set me on a new path with some exciting opportunities,” Alli posted on social media in December.

“Before any of that happens it’s very important for me to make clear how grateful I am of all the fans, staff and players at Everton for the support they have given me.

“It has been an incredibly tough journey trying to put the pieces together to regain match fitness and I cannot thank the Everton staff enough for the hard work they have put into the process.

“Unfortunately things haven’t worked out as we all would have hoped and I think it is the right time for me to turn a new page.

“I want to wish everyone at this amazing club the very best of luck and hopefully we will see each other again soon.”

In 2023 the 37-cap England international revealed he spent six weeks in rehab as he sought to deal with childhood trauma. He won back-to-back PFA Young Player of the Year awards at Tottenham following his move from MK Dons as a teenager.

Alli joined Everton in January 2022 but only went on to make 13 appearances over the course of his two-and-a-half year deal with the Toffees. At the beginning of 2023 he went on a half-season loan to Turkish outfit Besiktas, where he scored two goals in 13 games, but returned to Merseyside in April with a hip injury. At the end of the year he was sidelined by a groin injury and didn’t play for the Premier League club again.

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