More frustration for Dele Alli

I honestly can't see him ever getting to elite level football again.

Everton have provided him with the opportunity to do it but neither party have skin in the game, having to put your body on the line every day rather than mere training to get fit is a massive difference in attitude and desire. Has he still got it?

At the moment, this club is screaming out for a creative midfielder to fill a hole; he should be crawling over broken glass to make it his route back to the top… is he? We hear nothing other than the occasional piece on his latest setback.

One wonders from his perspective too, looking at the tactics and playing style of Dyche, is there a place for him in the team given Dyche's perspectives on No 10s? I doubt – even if he was running through brick walls to get into the team – that Dyche would play him.

The Forgotten Man needs to stand up and tell us where he is or he will fade away completely, that would be sad for football, and for Everton, but most of all, for Dele Alli.

Is now the time for everyone, including Dele Alli to give up? We seem to have spent an inordinate amount of time trying to make it work for him – all to no avail.

His head must be gone not getting a game for Everton, who much prefer their fullbacks to concentrate on staying narrow and defending.

Whenever he has played he has been pretty average. Can't defend, can't attack and gets injured. What am I missing.

He's hardly been given a chance.

Can Ashley Young attack?

Can Seamus Coleman attack?

Can Mykolenko attack?

Coleman is probably the best of the 3 at going forward. I would also say all 3 are better defenders than Patterson.

I just don't get the fascination with him. I would rather Dixon get game time.

And I doubt Dyche would be working an unsigned player with the rest of the club if he didn't hope to use him on the pitch. He would have written Dele off long ago. Like all those here seem to have done.

Jim #6, Rob asks a perfectly valid question, which you decline to answer.

Patterson's had chances. He started four straight games twice last season. And until earlier this year, he was first choice for Scotland. Not difficult games for you to watch, I assume.

So what have you seen that makes you believe he should be starting for us now?

A better manager that isn't terrified of players crossing the half-way line gets more from Nathan Patterson. I saw potential there last season when he played away at Sheffield United and also in our win at West Ham.

Question answered. Get a more attack minded manager, see the best of players that have been mentally stagnated under this fella. Probably see the Jack Harrison that Bielsa had too; I wouldn't be at all surprised.

We also, of course, had the Central League reserve games available to get players fit.

9 subs every match, only 5 to be used if required, some players train each week probably knowing they'll be sat on the bench and not get a game. Soul-destroying.

Said it before. Whilst some players make the grade a little later, if they are sitting on the bench and not getting regular game time at the age of 22 or 23, for the sake of their own careers, they need to move on and get regular football elsewhere...

As for Dele Alli, such a sad situation for him. I am sure he has the hunger for the game and can get back playing somewhere if not with us. I hope he also has a decent family support network in place to get him through his latest injury and gets back playing somewhere.

Christine's point is valid about our current tactics and there even being a place for Dele. I can see him rocking up with Frank Lampard when Frank gets his next appointment. Then we'll sack Sean Dyche and appoint a manager that would be ideal for Dele… :)

He has showed some potential but has had too many injuries which has curtailed his progress and he will probably end up being another young footballer who would have done a lot better if he had just been allowed to go through the levels instead of being sent to Everton and expected to succeed with so few games under his belt?

My point about Patterson is that his head must definitely be gone at Everton because it wouldn't surprise me if there was a big poster on the walls of Finch Farm, with the words…. “Attacking Full-Backs Are Banned”!!

I often don't understand why they got rid of the proper competitive Central League, and honestly believe it's turned a lot of footballers into bigger snobs because they don't want to be playing in the Under-21 league.

My stepson is coming back from injury and both the first team and under-21s have got a game on the same day this week, and after I said it would be good to get another 90 minutes under his belt, he said he would prefer to be with the first team.

"Why would you sooner be with the first team, when you have been getting nursed back and have only completed one 90 minutes, since pre-season?" I asked.

"I don't know but everyone wants to be with the first team," he replied, "Plus my fitness is okay because I ran more than 400 metres, more than any other player during training on Thursday."

Fitness is one thing, but match fitness is a totally different thing, and you only get match fit by playing games.

To be honest, I am not a huge fan of Patterson as his defensive positioning still requires work and he was prone to lapses in concentration.

But, he does have a number of things in his favour: 1) He has pace and athleticism 2) He is not 37 years old 3) He is not a left back forced to play out of position.

Young has done a very good job, but I would prefer him to switch back to left back and give Patterson or Dixon game time. We desperately need pace on the flanks and the current combination of Young and Mykolenko will never give us that.

Coleman was excellent going forward but not so much now, his defending has gone backwards as his age increased.

Dixon had a decent game at Spurs, better than average for a debutant, then a poor game at home to Southampton (?) in the league cup when he showed that his defensive game lacked quite a bit.

Patterson I think can be a good player at full-back if he can stay fit, especially going forward. I would use him in front of Young instead of Lindstrøm, who is yet to show he can perform in the Premier League. I've seen him make numerous runs down the wing but never receive the ball.

I've seen Patterson two or three times playing well for Scotland where he was trusted by the manager. I'm not having a go at Dyche there because I don't know if he likes the lad or not. The one thing none of us can argue about is that both full-back positions are in need of additions.

Wouldn't it make sense to get rid of Young, Coleman and Patterson and take the money to get one decent right-back? These three combined are around £130k per week on the wage bill and two don't even play. That's scope, at least for next season, to get a proper right-back the right side of 30. Ideally we'd get one in January, and a new left-back in the summer.

Dixon hopefully can still develop and be backup with Garner as 3rd option if needs be. Assuming Patterson never makes the grade (once given the chance).

As mentioned by several posters, one of the reasons we have little attacking threat is because our full-backs don't offer much going forward. In Young's and Coleman's case, you can understand given their age but doesn't help us.

As for Dele, every article on him is a waste of time imo. The kid's not playing in the Premier League again any time soon, if ever. Last played in February 2023.

Once the ownership changes, I can see him leaving the club, I can't see a new manager being interested. He should start taking his badges.

Completely agree with your right-back idea and also, sadly, with your view on Dele.

At the time, he could not get in the Rangers side and yes, he played for Scotland, but that is not a good CV to be a Premier League player.

A very poor buy, but we have been shopping for players at Netto for too long and, whoever you have as manager, it will not make much difference. We have too many poor players or should I say, not Premier League players.

We are where we are; whether the takeover will make a difference, I am not too sure. It has been said, there will be no more money to bring in players, so that leaves us with the option of selling our better players, ie Branthwaite, Pickford, maybe Calvert-Lewin. But, if we can only attract similar to what we have now, we are no better off.

Benitez was gone within a fortnight of us signing these two fullbacks and because Marcel Brands, had already left Everton, I’d love to know who really sanctioned these transfers, especially when it’s clear we were already dicing with death regarding the P&S Rules.

When I ever start looking back at the last few seasons, it definitely amazes me that we are still in the premier league, but I don’t believe we will last much longer, unless the Friedkin’s get here soon with a clear plan.

Dyche admitted that the 28-year-old, who hasn’t played for the Blues since 13 August 2022, has suffered a new fitness setback.

He said: “Dele has had a minor thing but he’s just taking a time out because obviously he’s had a few now and he’s just peed off with it. So, we’re just monitoring that at the minute.

“He’s abroad at the minute but working. It’s just a break from coming in, you know what it’s like, it grips you then, so we said: ‘Yeah, yeah, of course’.” — Liverpool Echo