Dele Alli to Rangers transfer pitch revealed as £3m ‘target’ keeps door open despite summer snub – Ibrox bulletin

The Ibrox giants were urged to make a move for Dele Alli before the midfielder signed for Tottenham Hotspur in 2015

Rangers hero Graham Roberts has revealed that he urged his old club to try and sign Dele Alli before the England midfielder landed his big money move to Tottenham 10 years ago.

Spurs won the race to secure the then 18-year-old’s signature for £5million in January 2015 after Alli had burst onto the scene in England’s third tier with MK Dons.

Alli went onto score 67 goals in 269 appearances for the Lilywhites in the following seven seasons, appearing in the Champions League final defeat to Liverpool in 2019.

However, a succession of injuries and personal issues off the pitch have seen the 28-year-old’s career plummet in recent seasons.

Alli made just 13 appearances in a frustrating three year spell with Everton between 2021 and 2024, with a loan stint in Turkey with Besiktas also yielding little success.

In a bid to get his career going again, the 37-time England cap teamed up with Cesc Fabregas’ big spending Como in January but got off to a nightmare start in Serie A when he saw red on his debut against AC Milan at San Siro in his first competitive appearance in over two years.

But former Ibrox midfielder Roberts – who won a league title and a league cup during his two years at Ibrox between 1986 and 1988 – has detailed that he recommended Alli to his old team before the English Premier League big guns came calling.

Speaking to Express Sport, Roberts – who also enjoyed a successful six year spell with Spurs prior to joining Rangers – said: “I remember him scoring two goals against Chelsea, two brilliant goals when we won 3-1.

“I have always liked him, I don’t know what went wrong.