If the plan was for Dele Alli to revive his career away from Everton at Besiktas this season, it’s fair to say it hasn’t worked out.
The midfielder departed Goodison Park on loan in the summer and was warmly welcomed by the Turkish club and their fans, who believed they were getting the star that the midfielder once was.
What they got instead was the player who has struggled over the last few years, failing to make an impact at Tottenham and Everton.
That has continued at Besiktas, where he has made just 13 appearances in Super Lig this season and featured in just 40% of the available minutes.
Several reports have made it clear that Besiktas were less than happy with the player they had received, with manager Şenol Güneş even giving him an ultimatum at one point.
CNN Turk explain today that Alli ‘could not meet expectations’ at the club despite ‘intense interest’ from President Ahmet Nur Cebi, coach Şenol Güneş and his team.
He’s now been bombed out of the squad, with it ‘expected’ that he will follow the rest of the season watching from the stands.
That has already happened in the win over Ankaragucu, when he was left out of the squad completely. That is expected to happen in the rest of the games before he is then shipped back to Everton in the summer.
What they decide to do with him remains to be seen but the plan to reinvent him in Turkey is one that has not worked in the slightest.
