New Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino wants to help Everton midfielder Dele Alli get his career back on track.
The Argentine managed the England international during their time together at Tottenham Hotspur, and under the guidance of Pochettino, Dele became one of the most prolific midfielders in world football.
Dele was among the first players to arrive at Finch Farm as Everton began pre-season training on Thursday. However, the 27-year-old faces an uphill battle to get his career back on track.
But Pochettino, who was speaking at his first press conference as Chelsea manager, has revealed he wants to speak to his former player to find out 'what is going on'.
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He said: "I hope to have some time to call and see because he is a great guy, and I want to talk a little bit with him and hear. I want to help him and see what is going on with him.
"He is still young. And for sure, he has the mentality. Now it’s a long time since I spoke to him, but I want to contact him again and see what is going on."
The midfielder is now facing a crucial summer after returning to Everton early from an underwhelming season-long loan spell with Besiktas. Dele signed a two-and-a-half-year deal when he moved to Everton from Spurs under Frank Lampard in January 2021, but made the temporary switch to Turkey at the start of last season after quickly falling out of favour.
The former Spurs star arrived in Turkey amid much fanfare last August in a bid to revive his career after struggling to make an impact at Goodison Park. But he managed just 15 appearances in all competitions before returning home.
Speaking back in April, Sean Dyche claimed Dele wanted to revive his fading fortunes, but the Blues now face an expensive decision around the midfielder’s future. The 27-year-old has a year remaining on his contract, but the Goodison Park club have to pay Tottenham £10m once he makes 20 appearances, and he is currently on 13.
