Season › 2024-25 › News Dele officially leaves Everton 'to turn new page' Lyndon Lloyd 20/12/2024 24comments | Jump to last Dele Alli has signed off from Everton with a message of thanks to "this amazing club" as he gives up on any hope of being able to earn a new contract with the Blues. The former England star was signed in a complicated deal from Tottenham Hotspur in January 2022 to coincide with the arrival of Frank Lampard as manager but ended up making just one Premier League start for Everton and only 13 appearances in all. He was eventually loaned out to Besiktas in Turkey where it was hoped he could re-find his form and focus but he suffered a serious quad injury in February last year that required two surgeries and a succession of set-backs in his rehabilitation. During his recovery, Dele sought help in the United States to address mental issues that had plagued him for years and he opened up in an interview with Gary Neville on The Overlap about the deep-rooted causes of his problems, including abuse as a child. Article continues below video content Saying he was feeling as well mentally as ever, Dele embarked on his physical recovery but was never able to regain sufficient fitness to retain a full training programme and his contract with Everton expired in June. The Club allowed him to keep using the facilities and medical staff at Finch Farm to give him every chance of perhaps being able to earn a new deal but it was not to be, particularly with his latest injury set-back this month. "As widely published this week, 2025 may set me on a new path with some exciting opportunities," Dele wrote to his social media followers today. "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 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 the process. "Unfortunately things haven't worked out as we all would have hoped and I think it's 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." Reader Comments (24) Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer () Dean Williams 1 Posted 20/12/2024 at 15:08:47 One disaster after another. Can't be bad earning big wages for doing nowt. Derek Knox 2 Posted 20/12/2024 at 15:38:49 Will we miss his goals? :-)It was a very crazy but hopeful transfer, that obviously didn't work out for either Everton or Dele himself! Had he discovered his previous form, it would have been a coup, but that wasn't to be.Wish him all the best for his future, but secretly hope he doesn't suddenly become the player he was, with someone else! Mike Gaynes 3 Posted 20/12/2024 at 15:49:47 It was always a longshot, but definitely worth the effort.Wishing him nothing but the best. Eric Haworth 4 Posted 20/12/2024 at 16:01:01 Be interesting to see if any mileage in recent reports that his next page might just be enjoying life in the beautiful Lake Como region of Italy, taking up Cesc Fabregas's invitation? Craig Walker 5 Posted 20/12/2024 at 16:08:11 Dele Alli summed up the Moshiri years. Lots of optimism when we signed him but it turned out to be a disaster. The club stood by him through his problems but, from the playing side, he offered us nothing. Peter Hodgson 6 Posted 20/12/2024 at 16:13:08 Hopefully the final episode of the Kenwright era of dodgy transfer dealings that didn't work out well for us. No doubt Dyche tried to make it work out but I doubted that it ever would but good luck to Dele. I hope he gets satisfaction in the end. It was a nice try but always doomed to failure.The old days hopefully have gone forever now we have new owners. Dave Abrahams 7 Posted 20/12/2024 at 16:13:57 Craig (5), I think you will find that Kenwright did all the negotiating in bringing Dele Alli to Everton. Sean Kearns 8 Posted 20/12/2024 at 16:30:06 The streets will never forget his second-half performance in the 3-2 Palace win when Dom scored the diving header… Frank brought him on at half-time and the rest is history, I'm sure he was involved in the knockdown for our second goal if my memory is correct. Even just for that performance alone, thanks lad. Christopher Timmins 9 Posted 20/12/2024 at 16:37:18 I wish the boy well.I hope he makes the most of his talent over the next 4 to 6 years. Kieran Kinsella 10 Posted 20/12/2024 at 16:52:42 Como seem to be really doing anything for publicity. They had Varane there briefly then termed him when he wasn't fit enough. Now they are toying with Alli. At this point, it is almost 2 years since he played at all and about 4 or 5 since he was playing at the level that saw him branded as world class. Unfortunately I think his career (at any meaningful level) is over. Even at lower levels it is hard to get to the fitness required – as Jack Wilshere showed when he tried his luck in Sweden. Paul Hewitt 11 Posted 20/12/2024 at 16:55:04 All the best, lad. Hope you get your life and career back on track. Mark Taylor 12 Posted 20/12/2024 at 17:09:26 On a personal level, that was a very moving interview in which Dele came across very well, not quite the person you would imagine.From an EFC perspective, he was a disaster, vast sums expended for basically nothing back. At least he is honest enough to acknowledge how amazingly he did out of us.I think Levy knew full well he was severely damaged goods and Kenwright way too stupid to sense that. Bill Gall 13 Posted 20/12/2024 at 17:14:14 Sean, I believe he blocked a Palace player off for Calvert-Lewin to score the 3rd goal from the free kick. Mike Hayes 14 Posted 20/12/2024 at 17:31:30 He's probably been watching Dychosaurs tactics and thought “That's me done!” Disaster of a signing, cost the club a fortune, but hopefully that's the last daft signing ever. If he restarts his career, good luck. Brian Williams 15 Posted 20/12/2024 at 17:39:27 Signing him, with hindsight, was a risk the club shouldn't have taken and a mistake.Helping a person who had suffered such extreme trauma, and letting him train (unpaid) after his contract was finished was a humane and compassionate act that shouldn't, IMHO, be disparaged. Sean Kearns 16 Posted 20/12/2024 at 17:58:58 Bill @13… that I was unaware of. He deffo also was involved around the 6-yard box for the second as well. What a night! David McMullen 17 Posted 20/12/2024 at 18:06:05 I applaud the club giving him all we could but I think in the future we should avoid these kind of signings. It was dodgy from the start. I've suffered with mental health down the years myself. I think the club must be praised but at the same time, I hope TFG will change Sentimental FC in to Ruthless FC. Ernie Baywood 18 Posted 20/12/2024 at 18:35:41 His quote reads like he's leaving Everton. He was just using our facilities wasn't he? Good luck to the lad. Jim Bennings 19 Posted 20/12/2024 at 19:14:53 If Daniel Amokachi was Joe Royle's greatest substitution he never made then surely Dele Alli will go down as probably the greatest signing we never had.It comes today as he leaves Everton but it never ever felt like he even played for us really, did it?Such a shame because, if he could have even been 50 or 60% of the player he was between 2015 and 2019, then we'd have had some player.I hope he gets something like his mojo back but, to be honest, I don't see it ever happening now. Colin Glassar 20 Posted 20/12/2024 at 20:00:52 Gone and soon to be forgotten. Andy Crooks 21 Posted 20/12/2024 at 20:02:23 If Dele should get the chance to read this thread, he will realise that he spent time with a great club supported by the best people around. Our club did him proud. Jay Evans 22 Posted 20/12/2024 at 21:14:27 Good luck, amigo.As some posters on here have already mentioned, we will always have that 2nd 45 minutes of the Palace game.For that I will always be eternally grateful. Liam Mogan 23 Posted 20/12/2024 at 21:21:02 The lad has deeper issues than football, I think, some of which he's been brave enough to speak about. I wish him good luck with his life and hope he can at least find a modicum of contentment. Derek Thomas 24 Posted 20/12/2024 at 21:22:38 I hope his mental and physical recovery is complete, but wonder if the timing of sudden departure has anything to do with the takeover of the new regime. Add Your Comments In order to post a comment, you need to be logged in as a registered user of the site. » Log in now Or Sign up as a ToffeeWeb Member — it's free, takes just a few minutes and will allow you to post your comments on articles and Talking Points submissions across the site. How to get rid of these ads and support TW © ToffeeWeb