Jose Mourinho refuses to answer whether he would sanction a loan move for Dele Alli this month
Jose Mourinho has refused to answer whether or not he would sanction a loan move for Dele Alli this month, despite appearing to acknowledge that the midfielder is unhappy with his current situation at Tottenham Hotspur.
As reported by Telegraph Sport, Alli is interested in joining Paris Saint-Germain until the end of the season after falling down the pecking order at Spurs under Mourinho.
PSG have made a renewed move to take Alli, but chairman Daniel Levy is currently refusing to sanction any deal over fears Tottenham’s squad could be left short in the event of an injury crisis and Mourinho declined to make his position clear.
“It’s not a question that I am comfortable to answer,” said Mourinho. “Of course, I would know how to answer you. But I am not ready to answer, I am not ready to make public my vision of the situation. I am sorry about that, but I’m not going to answer.”
Pushed on whether or not he could afford to let any player leave if he could not sign a replacement, Mourinho added: “You are asking that question in a general way but you are, of course, speaking about Alli so the question that you are asking me is if would I let Alli go without getting a player in exchange and I’m not going to answer that question to you.”
Mourinho did not answer why he was willing to give a definite answer on the future of Harry Winks, who he has insisted will stay at Tottenham this month, but would not address whether or not Alli could go.
Alli posted a picture of himself looking frustrated following Tottenham’s draw against Fulham, in which he was an unused substitute, and will no doubt be upset if he does not play a part against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Sunday.
“I think in every dressing-room are unhappy players,” said Mourinho. “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.
“I believe that in every dressing-room, there are unhappy players. 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 (person) that believes that it’s not his job to fight and to work every minute for the squad and for the club. But unhappy players you have everywhere and in every club, I promise you that.”
Mourinho was similarly evasive over why another one of his unused substitutes against Fulham, Gareth Bale, who has so far only started one Premier League game, has not made a bigger impact since returning to Tottenham on loan from Real Madrid.
“The reasons he didn’t reach in this period the level that Tottenham supporters remember him is a complex answer and I’m not prepared to answer,” said Mourinho. “If Gareth was here we could speak a little bit about it, but just by myself I’m not comfortable.”
