Dele Alli to Call It Quits?! Ex-Tottenham Star Considering Retirement at 29 After Being Banished from Como Squad by Cesc Fabregas

A Career That Promised So Much Now Teeters on the Brink

At just 29, Dele Alli, once hailed as one of English football’s brightest midfield talents, is reportedly considering retirement. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the former Tottenham and England international is contemplating hanging up his boots after being frozen out of Serie A side Como’s first-team setup by head coach Cesc Fabregas.

WHAT HAPPENED?

Dele’s move to Como was meant to be a fresh chapter—a final spark to reignite a career that had been dimmed by injuries, form dips, and personal battles. He arrived in northern Italy in January 2024 on a free transfer after mutually parting ways with Everton. The contract ran for 18 months with an optional extension, and both club and player hoped it would lead to a resurgence.

Instead, it’s become another painful footnote. After just one first-team appearance—an ill-fated debut against AC Milan in March that saw him sent off just 10 minutes after coming on—Dele has found himself relegated to the fringes.

Dele Alli Como GFX

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Football, as we know, is a game of fine margins. And for Dele, those margins seem to have narrowed significantly. His red card against Milan drew criticism and sparked concern about his match fitness and decision-making. Following the suspension, Fabregas showed little inclination to reintegrate him into the side.

Dele was an unused substitute in seven of Como’s last eight games of the 2024 season—the only exception being a match he missed due to illness. According to reports from the Italian press, his training sessions lacked intensity, and his role within the squad became largely symbolic.

Now, as pre-season preparations for the 2025-26 campaign ramp up, Dele’s situation has worsened. He has been instructed to train separately from the first team—a clear message that he does not fit into Fabregas’ tactical plans moving forward. Notably, he was left out of pre-season matches against Lille, Al Ahli, and Ajax.

DID YOU KNOW?

Dele’s career trajectory is one of the most striking in recent English football. Bursting onto the scene as a teenager with MK Dons, his move to Tottenham in 2015 under Mauricio Pochettino sparked excitement. Within two seasons, he was scoring double-digit goals from midfield and earning comparisons to Premier League legends.

He was twice named PFA Young Player of the Year and a crucial part of the Spurs side that reached the Champions League final in 2019. But by 2020, injuries, off-the-field distractions, and inconsistency had crept in. His confidence waned, his minutes dropped, and by 2022, he was shipped out on loan to Besiktas.

A short-lived stint at Everton followed before his eventual exit from the Premier League. Como, at the time, was viewed as a perfect low-pressure environment to rebuild—but that dream now seems in tatters.

Cesc Fabregas Como 2025

A MAN AT A CROSSROADS

Dele Alli is facing a decision that few footballers make willingly at 29. Does he walk away, his love for the game apparently worn down by years of struggle? Or does he attempt one last comeback—perhaps at a lower level, perhaps back in England or in the MLS, where his name still carries weight?

Sources close to the player suggest that retirement is a very real option on the table. Those same sources say Dele has grown increasingly disillusioned with the sport. He has previously opened up in candid interviews about mental health challenges, pressure, and how fame and expectation affected him as a young star.

And that’s the painful irony: for all his accolades, his goals, his nutmegs and moments of magic—Dele’s career has always been as much about what could have been as what was.

WHAT NEXT FOR COMO?

The Italian side, backed by American ownership and managed by former World Cup winner Cesc Fabregas, are gearing up for their second season in Serie A after a remarkable promotion campaign. With ambitions to stay afloat and grow their brand, there seems little room for passengers.

Fabregas has been clear in his approach: youthful energy, tactical discipline, and consistency. It’s a vision that Dele, in his current form, does not align with.

Como open their new Serie A campaign with a home fixture against Lazio on August 24. All signs suggest that Dele will not be in the matchday squad. Whether he’s even at the club by then remains to be seen.

LEGACY AND LESSONS

Should Dele Alli decide to retire, he’ll leave behind a complicated legacy. On one hand, his early years were electric—brimming with talent, invention, and swagger. On the other, his decline has been sharp, and the sympathy for his plight is tinged with frustration.

Yet his story also serves as a cautionary tale about the physical and psychological demands of elite football. About how difficult it is to maintain form, focus, and fitness in a sport that rarely allows for second chances.

But it’s also a story of resilience. Dele hasn’t given up—yet. He tried Turkey. He tried Italy. He’s confronted his past in public. Whether he decides to keep playing or not, he’s earned the right to make that decision on his own terms.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The possibility of Dele Alli retiring at 29 will come as a shock to many, but perhaps not a surprise. After all, football isn’t just about what happens on the pitch. It’s about timing, support, opportunity—and sometimes, the luck of staying injury-free.

For now, the ball is in Dele’s court. His next move, whether toward a new club or a new life away from football, will define the next chapter of a career that has always defied expectations.

Whatever he chooses, the football world will watch—with curiosity, nostalgia, and, for many, quiet hope.