Dele Alli confirms Everton exit, set to ‘turn a new page’ in career

Dele Alli has confirmed he is ending his association with Premier League club Everton. His contract with the club expired in June 2024; however, he continued to train with the team. He has been a free agent for the last six months. The 28-year-old last played for Everton in the 2022-23 season and spent six weeks in rehab last year dealing with his childhood trauma. The midfielder last played a competitive game in February 2023 when he was on loan at the Turkish side Besiktas.

Dele didn’t have a great time at Everton as he featured in just 13 matches for the club after joining them in the 2021-22 season. He started in only a solitary encounter and didn’t score a single goal. He turned up for Besiktas while on loan during the 2022-23 season in 15 matches scoring three goals across competitions. The football player confirmed his exit from Everton in a message on Instagram thanking the club and the staff for their hard work in managing him. “2025 may set me on a new path with some exciting opportunities.

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

“It's been an incredibly tough journey trying to put the final pieces together to regain match fitness and I cannot thank the Everton staff enough for the hard work they have put into this process,” Alli wrote in his message.

Everton manager Sean Dyche wishes Dele Alli well

Everton manager Sean Dyche who joined the club in January 2023 sympathised with Dele Alli for the challenges he has faced in the last couple of years. He also recalled the kind of injuries he sustained and how things didn’t go to plan. Moreover, Dyche added that Alli never created any issues while working with him and wished him all the luck in the world as he looks forward to turning a new page in his life and career.

For the uninitiated, before embarking on a tough journey with Everton, Alli was with Tottenham from the 2015-16 season, making a staggering 240 appearances for the club. He also scored 62 goals for the team while assisting in 36.