Dele Alli has been offered a way back onto the training pitch by Barnet as he looks to restart a career that has been on pause for more than a year. The 30-year-old, once one of English football’s brightest attacking talents, has been without a club since his spell at Como came to an end.
Barnet, who play in League Two, have told Alli he can work with Dean Brennan’s first-team squad if he wants to. He had already been using the club’s facilities on his own in recent weeks as he continued his fitness work.
Quick facts
- Alli has not played a competitive match since March 2025.
- His Como debut ended with a dismissal shortly after he came on.
- Barnet are prepared to let him train alongside their League Two players.
- He made 269 appearances for Tottenham.
- After leaving Spurs, he played 29 matches across spells with Everton, Besiktas and Como.
Alli’s last appearance came in March 2025, when he was sent off within minutes of entering the field for Como. His contract with the Italian club was later terminated, leaving him to search for another route into the game.
Brennan said the door was open, while acknowledging that Alli had endured a difficult period and that there were reasons clubs had not moved for him. The Barnet manager said he would welcome the chance to help restore a player to football, drawing a comparison with Harry Redknapp’s work with Paolo Di Canio after the Italian’s 11-match ban in 1993 for pushing a referee.
“Everyone deserves a second chance in life,” Brennan said. “We have plenty of players without clubs who train with us. If Dele wants to come in, he can get fit and work with the group.”
It is a long way from Alli’s Tottenham peak, when he became a central figure in one of the club’s most exciting modern sides. In 2018, his value was estimated at €100 million by Transfermarkt, reflecting the standing of a player who had rapidly become one of the country’s leading prospects.
The years since have been far less kind. Moves to Everton, Besiktas and Como brought limited football, and he has also spoken publicly about addiction problems and the sexual abuse he suffered as a child.
For now, Barnet are offering no grand promise beyond a place to train and the chance to rebuild fitness. After a long absence, even that is a meaningful first step.
