Dele Alli’s injury may break Tottenham’s spine
Tottenham managed to scrape past Fulham without Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son on the pitch, but losing Dele Alli may cripple Spurs.
Harry Winks may have scored Tottenham’s winning goal at Fulham, but Dele Alli was the man who equalized the match for Spurs. Unfortunately for Mauricio Pochettino and company, the talented midfielder may be the latest player in the squad to succumb to a meaningful injury.
Dele came off the pitch after 86 minutes against the Whites with an apparent hamstring injury. He could easily be seen clutching the back of his leg as he went after the ball on the byline. No concrete diagnosis will be available until Dele undergoes more medical tests at Hotspur Way, According to Pochettino, those tests will occur on Monday.
The results of those tests are massive for Tottenham’s immediate future. Pochettino is already without the services of Harry Kane who will likely be out until March due to ankle issues. The club’s next best goal scorer, Heung-Min Son, will likely miss at least four weeks while he competes in the Asian Cup. The absence of Kane and Son puts immense pressure on Tottenham’s other attacking players to pick up the offensive slack.
Dele is Pochettino’s best hope of coping without that duo. He typically plays as an attacking midfielder for Spurs, but he is very capable of playing as a forward as well. Given how poor Fernando Llorente looked at Fulham, it’s very possible Pochettino will look to play someone else in his place this week against Chelsea. If Dele isn’t fit for the match, it likely means Llorente will get another opportunity to lead the line at Stamford Bridge.
Tottenham may find a way to scrape past the Blues without Dele, but if he’s forced to miss significant action it’s going to sink Spurs. In fairness, there aren’t many clubs who can afford to miss three of their top four attackers for any length of time. Christian Eriksen will feel very lonely trying to pilot the attack without Son, Kane or Dele to help him.
Spurs fans will hope Daniel Levy will dip into the transfer market for help, but it’s highly unlikely the club can sign anyone close to the players they’re missing due to injury. That doesn’t mean Tottenham should sit the January window out entirely, but Pochettino will certainly know that he should temper expectations placed on any new arrival this month.
Next. Tottenham are showing real signs of desperation. dark
The bottom line is that Tottenham don’t have the squad depth to handle life without Kane, Son and Dele. Pochettino might have been able to conjure up enough magic with Dele on the pitch to keep his team’s silverware dreams afloat, but losing him will be a task too tall for the Argentine gaffer.