Everton Making Moves

No one can deny that up until recently, Everton has been struggling. Football betting fans, up until now… even die-hard Everton fans would have avoided putting any money on the team in their recent form! Indeed, up until the end of January, the Liverpool rivals were sitting in the 16th spot on the table – just 2 spots away from the relegation zone, having managed just 19 points from the season to date. Out of the 20 games to that point, they have lost eleven, drawn four and won only five. This is a mile away from their rivals, sitting pretty in second spot with 48 points.

It’s no surprise that Everton fans have been making a lot of noise – and the club has had to respond. Firstly, they sacked Rafael Benitez – Liverpool’s former manager that led the Reds to Champions League glory and replaced him with former Chelsea star and manager, Frank Lampard. They have also made some moves in the January transfer season, the most significant of which is the signing of Tottenham’s controversial player, Dele Alli.

A QUESTIONABLE RESPONSE

There have been new reports that Everton has signed Dele Alli from Tottenham Hotspurs on a two-and-a-half-year deal that could reach up to £40 million. However, with his form having been questioned in the London club, there are people questioning whether or not this is the best way for Lampard to make his mark as the new manager.

Lampard has made the decision to sign midfielder Alli as a priority, with the belief that he has the potential and ability to rebuild the career that has taken a dip in recent years. During his tumultuous career, Alli – at only 25 years old, has played in the England shirt 37 times and has made six Tottenham appearances since Italian manager, Antonio Conte first took the club’s reins back in November.

Everton will pay the first £10 million of the transfer deal after he has made 20 appearances for the blues.

Unsurprisingly, Dele Alli is more than happy with the signing, as it demonstrates that there is still faith in his ability by big names in the beautiful game. Whether that faith will translate to the Mountbet betting exchange is questionable. Alli exclaimed that he was ‘delighted’ to sign for the club – with its great fanbase and history. He is ready and eager to get started and play his first game in the Everton kit.

Moreover, Alli states that he is looking forward to the challenge of helping the team out of their current slump – and having the opportunity to work with the England footballing legend, Frank Lampard.

He won’t be able to make his debut for Everton when they play Brentford on the 5th of February, as he is cup-tied. However, he may well play in his Everton shirt for the first time on the 8th of February, when Everton play a Premier League match against Newcastle United – a team that is currently struggling even more than them.

NO MORE LOANS

Whether or not they would have preferred to try him out on loan first is questionable. However, Everton wasn’t given this choice as their loan quota is currently completely filled after having added Donny van den Beek from Manchester United and Anwar El Ghazi from Aston Villa. So, they have had to sign him up on a contract and take the risk.

Alli, who hasn’t played for the England squad since 2019, originally signed for Tottenham Hotspurs from MK Dons in 2015 – when he was still a teenager. He made a pretty impressive start to his Premier League career, scoring 10 goals from 33 Premier League games in his first year. The next season he reached 18 goals and was twice nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year award.

He became a regular starter under the guidance of Mauricio Pochettino but famously went out of favour when Jose Mourinho took over the post … and last season he only started seven games.

The struggling attacking midfielder opened six Premier League games under the short but sweet spell of former manager Nuno Esperito Santo but hasn’t been as successful under the reign of Conte

IS THIS A GOOD MOVE?

There will be all sorts of question marks hanging over this decision, a very controversial signing for a brand new manager who is looking to make a success of it. Dele Alli has failed to impress for quite some time – and one can only ask the question… does Frank Lampard know something we don’t? Only time will tell.

Whatever happens, this is a very important time for the team and they need to make this work. Rafa Benitez has been very successful in the past – and dropping him to replace him with someone who hasn’t been as successful yet could be a big risk. Lampard needs Alli to perform. His first major decision as the new manager – and people will be watching. Will Everton fans finally have something to cheer about? We’ll see….