Dele Alli has been named in his first matchday squad in more than two years as Como prepare to take on Roma in Serie A on Sunday.
The former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder has not played a game since February 2023, when he was on loan from Everton at Besiktas, but he looks to be in line to make his return and debut for Como at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday evening. Dele, who turns 29 next month, has battled back from injury problems and the expiration of his contract with the Toffees to get to this point, while also bravely opening up about his mental health issues and childhood trauma in 2023.
Dele was one of the most exciting young players in Europe during his time at Spurs, under the management of Mauricio Pochettino in particular, and racked up 67 goals and 55 assists in his 269 matches for the north London side. However, he would only play 13 times for Everton and 15 for Besiktas before facing a lengthy spell trying to get back to full fitness.
He began training with Como over the New Year, after Everton had let him continue working with them during pre-season, and he did enough to earn himself a contract with the Serie A club, managed by former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas, that could run until next year.
Last month Fabregas had said of Dele: “He’s working off the pitch at the moment. I don’t want to put extra pressure on him, he hasn’t played for months. From tomorrow [Monday] he will be at full capacity with the group, after the personalised work of the last few weeks.
“He needs time, I spoke to him and I was clear with him. We are here to help him. We believe we can do it. We need patience to see him back on the pitch: please, let’s stay calm. The last few months will be used to get back in shape for next season.”
That knocked down hopes of seeing the midfielder, who has made 37 appearances for England and scored three times, again this season. However, it now appears that he has reached a stage where he can play some part in the campaign after he was named on Sunday in the squad that will visit the Italian capital for the match, which kicks off at 5pm GMT, and he will wear the shirt number eight.
All eyes will be on whether he returns for 13th-placed Como, who earned promotion to Serie A last season for the first time in 21 years.
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