Mourinho hints Alli is unhappy at Tottenham while remaining non-committal on potential transfer

Posted Saturday, January 16, 2021 by Goal.com

The Spurs boss admitted that there's no such thing as a completely happy dressing room while discussing the midfielder's future

Jose Mourinho has hinted that Dele Alli is unhappy with his current Tottenham role as transfer rumours continue to swirl around the English midfielder.

Alli has been in and out of the picture since Mourinho took over at Spurs last season, with the midfielder all but excluded from the Portuguese manager's plans this campaign.

The England star has made only four league appearances this season, playing a total of 74 minutes in the Premier League.

While he has featured more prominently in cup competitions, Alli's lack of league action has led to several transfer rumours, with former manager Mauricio Pochettino and Paris Saint-Germain reported to be among his potential suitors.

And, when asked whether Alli is unhappy with his current role at Spurs, Mourinho quipped that no team is full of happy players, although he would not commit to a potential move for the midfielder.

"In every dressing room are unhappy players,” Mourinho said.. “For sure. If any one of us, of my tribe, tells you that in his dressing room are only happy players, I don’t think it’s true. Or somebody is so so lucky to have a miracle in his hands.

"Then you can have [an] unhappy professional and the unhappy professional is the one that is unhappy but feels that his duty is to work, work, work and work. And there is the unhappy that believes that it’s not his job to fight and to work every minute for the squad and for the club.”

Mouriho continued: “The question is if I let Dele go without getting a player in exchange and I’m not going to answer that.

"It’s not a question that I am comfortable to answer. Of course, I would know how to answer. But I am not ready to answer. I am not ready to make public my vision of the situation.”

Alli has been with Tottenham since 2015, having joined from MK Dons. He's made 234 total appearances for Spurs, being named to the PFA Team of the Year twice.

Spurs currently sit sixth in the Premier League, six points behind league-leaders Manchester United, who face second-place Liverpool this weekend.

Mourinho's Tottenham, meanwhile, are set to face Sheffield United on Sunday before turning their focus towards an FA Cup visit to Wycombe.