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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Jonathan Gorrie

Senol Gunes slams Dele Alli for performing ‘below expectations’ at Besiktas

Struggle: Dele Alli’s move to Besiktas has not worked out

(Picture: Getty Images)

Besiktas manager Senol Gunes has criticised Dele Alli’s time at the club so far.

Sent on loan to Turkey from Everton in order to rebuild his career after a dramatic fall from grace at Tottenham, the move is yet to work out for the 26-year-old.

While the former England midfielder scored his first goal in over year on his second appearance for the Istanbul giants, a hamstring injury has since derailed his season.

After missing two games, Dele has not lasted the full 90 minutes in any of his last five appearances amid a change in management.

Gunes replaced former West Bromwich Albion boss Valerien Ismael late last month and appears to take a dim view of Dele’s ability to make an impact in his team.

With Gunes prepared to take charge of Besiktas for the first time since 2019 in Saturday’s huge Istanbul derby with Galatasaray, the former Turkey boss gave short shrift to the idea his arrival could offer something of a spark.

"I couldn’t affect the players [yet], now I can easily touch them, but we haven’t touched Dele Alli yet,” he said.

“Let’s not discuss Dele Alli as a player, but he is below expectations in terms of efficiency.”

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