The Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli has signed a new six-year contract, the club have announced.
Alli joined Spurs from MK Dons in February 2015 and his new deal at
White Hart Lane will run until 2022. The 20-year-old has managed 11
goals and nine assists in his 38 Premier League appearances for Mauricio
Pochettino’s side.
He follows fellow first-team players Christian Eriksen, Eric Dier,
Tom Carroll and Harry Winks, who have all extended their contracts in
the last month.
“I’m happy to be here and playing at Tottenham,” Alli stated on the club’s Twitter account.
“Personally I can’t think of anywhere better, with the fans, the
manager we’ve got here and the young team. It’s a great place to be.”
Alli has enjoyed a remarkable rise to prominence since making his
Tottenham debut from the bench against Manchester United in August 2015.
Scoring 10 goals in 46 appearances across all competitions last season,
he played a key role in helping Spurs to finish third and qualify for
the Champions League.
Last September Alli started for the first time for Spurs away against Sunderland,
and added: “I remember that game, I didn’t expect to play as quickly as
I did and make an impact in the team,” he said. “It’s happened so
quickly, starting at Tottenham, playing for England … it’s been a crazy
year for me and there are so many people I have to thank.
“I’m happy to be at this club and I can’t thank the manager and all
the staff enough for everything they’ve done for me, and the fans,
they’ve been right behind me since I signed. Hopefully there are a lot
of good times to come.”
Alli’s performances in the 2015-16 campaign earned him the PFA young
player of the year award and he was also named in the PFA Premier League
team of the year. He won his first England cap against Estonia in
October and later a place in Roy Hodgson’s final squad for Euro 2016,
although he struggled to find his best form. He has earned 12 caps in
total and scored one goal, an excellent long-range shot against France
in a friendly at Wembley in November.
This season he has played in all five of Tottenham’s Premier League
matches and scored once, in a 4-0 win at Stoke earlier this month. “I
have to keep trying to improve,” said the player. “I can’t get carried
away, I have to keep trying to make each year better than the last. This
will be a tough year to top but hopefully I can do it.
“I’ve tried to grow up. I’ve got great people around me to help keep
my feet on the ground and I’ll keep working hard on my football and keep
trying to improve.”