Conte ready to give Dele chance to prove himself

Antonio Conte has said that he will give Dele Alli chances in his Spurs side, but he wants each member of the squad to prove to him why they deserve to play.

Dele’s career has not progressed as was expected of him. During Conte’s previous spell in England, the midfielder had the world at his feet, but has since become a mere squad player at Spurs.

Conte recalled how impressive Dele was against his Chelsea sides, but that this will not cloud his judgement of the player.

“I remember very well when I played against Tottenham [as Chelsea manager] in the past,” he said. “I remember one game where we lost after 13 games in a row [without defeat] against Tottenham and Dele scored twice.

“But this is the past. Now there is a present. Dele is a player that has great personality, physically he’s strong, he’s very good. For sure I will give him the possibility to show his talent.

“At the same time, when I pick the starting XI, I think this starting XI can bring the team to win, and also when I make changes during the game.

“I’m open with every single player in Tottenham. The most important thing is they show me they deserve the chance to play. The door is open for every single player.

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“My first thought is to try to give them the best situation to show their talent. But then they have to show me I must be sure to give them the chance to repay when I give them a chance.

“We are starting from zero. There’s a new coach. I tell the players ‘show me that you deserve to play from the start and I’ll give you the chance to do it’.”

Dele has scored just once in 22 Premier League games since the start of 2020/21, bagging the winner – from the penalty spot – in Spurs’ 1-0 win over Wolves in August.