Dele Alli Signs New Six-Year Deal With Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hostpur midfielder Dele Alli has signed a new six-year contract with the team, the Spurs announced Monday.

Dele Alli Signs New Six-Year Deal With Tottenham Hotspur

Alli, 20, joined Tottenham from MK Dons in February 2015, and his new deal at White Hart Lane will run until 2022. The English youngster has recorded 11 goals and nine assists in his 38 Premier League appearances for manager Mauricio Pochettino’s club.

Alli explained in a video how excited he was to sign the new deal:

Alli has seen an incredible improvement as a professional player since making his Tottenham debut from the bench against Manchester United in August 2015. He scored 10 goals in 46 appearances across all competitions last season, and played a crucial role in helping Spurs to finish third and qualify for the Champions League.

Last September, Alli started for the first time for Tottenham away against Sunderland, and stated: “I remember that game, I didn’t expect to play as quickly as I did and make an impact in the team,” he said. “It’s happened so quickly, starting at Tottenham, playing for England … it’s been a crazy year for me and there are so many people I have to thank.”

Alli continued: “I’m happy to be at this club and I can’t thank the manager and all the staff enough for everything they’ve done for me, and the fans, they’ve been right behind me since I signed. Hopefully there are a lot of good times to come.”

The midfielder’s performances during the 2015-2016 season earned him the PFA Young Player of the Year award, and he was also named in the PFA Premier League team of the year.

Alli won his first match with England against Estonia in October, and later earned a place in former England manager Roy Hodgson’s final squad for Euro 2016, although he struggled during that tournament. He has won 12 total caps and scored one goal, a fantastic long-range shot against France in a friendly at Wembley in November. Hodgson resigned following England’s stunning elimination by Iceland at Euro 2016.

Thus far this season, he has played in all five of Spurs’ Premier League games and scored once, in a 4-0 victory at Stoke earlier this month.

“I have to keep trying to improve,” said Alli. “I can’t get carried away, I have to keep trying to make each year better than the last. This will be a tough year to top but hopefully I can do it.

Article by Pablo Mena