Few players were destined for superstardom quite like Dele Alli.
This is a player who transitioned from League One outfit MK Dons to the Premier League seamlessly while at Tottenham, where he quickly established himself as one of the most exciting midfield talents in world football. By the time he reached 26, people would have expected him to be one of the first names on the England teamsheet for the 2022 World Cup.
Things haven't exactly played out as expected.
After his time at Spurs fizzled out to an underwhelming end, Alli made the decision to join fellow Premier League outfit Everton in January 2022 for a transfer that at the time many claimed cost the Toffees £40million.
Hopes were high he could recapture the kind of form that once made him so dazzling at Spurs, but the reality was Alli looked well off the pace from the moment he arrived at Goodison Park.
This explains why he only lasted half of a season in the blue half of Merseyside under Frank Lampard, before finding himself in his current situation - on loan at Turkish Super Lig side Besiktas. Given the precarious financial position Everton were in at times last term, Alli leaving even on a temporary basis was welcomed with open arms by the club hierarchy.
This is because if the England international had made 20 appearances for the Toffees the club would have had to fork out the first £10m instalment for Spurs. Alli made just 13 outings, failing to register a single goal or assist, before being shipped off to Turkey in the summer.
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So, how are things going in Istanbul? Slowly, is the answer.
As things stand, Alli has made just four appearances, netting one goal and has already had to have manager Valerian Ismael leap to his defence in the media in response to criticism from some quarters.
Alli was still recovering to full match fitness when he participated in last weekend's huge derby day clash against Fenerbahce, but his performance was below the required standard for a game of that magnitude as the two sides played out a 0-0 draw.
It is perhaps a damning indictment of Alli's career over the last few years that Ismael has been forced to defend his player so early after the midfielder's arrival.
"He [Alli] will shine in the upcoming matches and will prove his worth to the team," explained the Besiktas boss. "The critics will be ashamed, they are making a big mistake they forget that he’s just come out of injury.
"I have full trust in him and I promise we will all give him a standing ovation very soon."
Should he perform at Besiktas and Everton wish to give him another chance upon his scheduled return in the summer, Alli will only have one more year left to run on the original deal he signed with the Toffees.
The reality is that it seems unlikely Everton will be any kind of hurry to get Alli back.
Whether it be due to poor form or injury struggles (he has missed two games in Turkey already with a muscle strain), there always seems to be something holding the midfielder back from the potential so many thought he once had nowadays.
