Dele Alli backed to join Championship side after conversation with manager

Dele Alli has been backed to revive his career by former MK Dons manager Karl Robinson after reports claimed the midfielder is training with Championship side West Ham ahead of the new campaign.

The 30-year-old, who has 37 England caps to his name, is currently without a club and has been since September last year, when he was released by Como after making just one appearance for the Serie A outfit.

He last played a competitive game in March 2025, although that cameo against AC Milan came to an abrupt end after Alli was shown a red card in stoppage time.

Now, the former Tottenham and Everton man wants to make a long-awaited return, according to former Charlton and Salford City manager Karl Robinson, who managed Alli when he was in charge of MK Dons.

Speaking on talkSPORT Breakfast, Robinson gave an insight into his hour-long chat with Alli after they bumped into each other in Marbella, where the midfielder has been training.

"I had about an hour just chatting to him, just bumped into him really," Robinson began.

"We spoke just about football in general, about how well he feels and how he wants to get himself back playing and how he seeks an opportunity.

"I think the problem you have in the modern world is social media governs an awful lot of our perception of them as a human being, first and foremost. We forget the fact he was and still is a talent.

"I think being away from football for so long, he was saying before about a pre-season, being away from a training ground for six weeks, it can be difficult to come back in and hit the ground running."

Robinson added: "Somebody who's not played competitive football for probably over 12 months, that's going to be the tell-tale sign. When he goes back over that white line with an actual match shirt, to see where he's actually at."

Dele Alli pictured in the stands during Tottenham's clash against Arsenal in February. Image credit: Getty

As mentioned above, Alli has reportedly been training with West Ham, something Robinson mentioned when speaking about his undeniable talent.

"Now, he's had multiple chances to get himself back playing, so you can't blame everybody else," Robinson added.

"You've got to look at yourself, first and foremost. And at the end of the day, if he is given this opportunity and he goes into West Ham and hits the ground running, they know they're going to have such a talented footballer. But that's down to him. It's not down to anybody else now.

"I think it's about him just putting his boots back on and doing something that he loves."