Soccer

Dele Alli signs contract extension at Tottenham Hotspur

19-year-old midfielder’s new deal will keep him at White Hart Lane until 2021

Dele Alli has signed a new deal with Tottenham Hotspur keeping him at White Hart Lane until 2021. Photograph: Getty
Dele Alli has signed a new deal with Tottenham Hotspur keeping him at White Hart Lane until 2021. Photograph: Getty
Tue Jan 12 2016 - 14:45

Dele Alli has signed a new contract to keep him at Tottenham Hotspur until 2021. The midfielder has made a huge impact since he signed from MK Dons last year for £5m, scoring five goals in 18 Premier League appearances.

The 19-year-old has also broken into the England squad and scored his first international goal in the 2-0 victory over France in November.

“We’re delighted to announce that Dele Alli has signed a new contract with the club which will run until 2021,” Tottenham posted on their Twitter account.

Alli signed from MK Dons in January 2015 but spent the remainder of the season on loan, helping the Buckinghamshire club into the Championship.

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He made his Premier League debut on the opening day of this season at Manchester United and has made 25 appearances in all competitions.

Having made his England Under-21 debut in September, he capped his meteoric rise by making his first senior appearance in the Euro 2016 qualifier against Estonia the following month.

Alli said: “The club has been really good to me since I’ve been here. We’ve got a great young team and I’m happy to be here. All the boys and staff have helped me settled in well and made it easy to go out there and do my stuff.

“That helps you with your confidence and you can focus on the football, and that’s obviously important as a young footballer moving away because it can be quite scary at times.”

Spurs are fourth in the league and there is growing belief Mauricio Pochettino’s young and exciting team can mount a sustained challenge for a Champions League spot, if not for the title itself.

Alli has quickly become an integral part of the Spurs team but he insists he still has much to learn as he seeks to secure his place in the England squad at Euro 2016.

“I’ve got a few games now and I’ve shown what I can do and established myself as a Premier League player,” Alli said. “But I’m 19, I’ve still got a lot to learn and I can’t think of a better place to do that. When I was moving from MK, the philosophy they had as a club, it was important I found that wherever I went.

“The football suits me as a player and it’s a great club to be at. Nothing changes with the contract, I’m still going to keep working hard on and off the pitch and doing as well as I can.”

(Guardian service)