Dele Alli: Como 1907’s New Showman

When English International Dele Alli first set foot in Como, he wasn’t just arriving at a new club—he was stepping into a storybook setting. The kind of place where football meets romance, where history and ambition collide. Following his signing as a player for Como 1907 in the January transfer window, BLU sat down with Dele to see how he was settling into life in Como, starting with the view.

“When I saw the lake? I’d say breathtaking,” he tells us. “I think it’s one of the most unique, beautiful places I have seen so far.”

For a player who’s graced the grandest stages in football, from the Champions League final to a World Cup semi, and experienced some amazing places, that’s saying something. But this new chapter is about more than just the view — it’s about what comes next. So how is he settling in?

“I’m loving it,” he says. “Some days are tougher, but I’ve loved being here, meeting all the guys, bonding with my new teammates. Meeting everyone around the club has been a good experience.”

Dele has played under some of football’s biggest names – Mauricio Pochettino, Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, Antonio Conte. Now, he’s working under a man he once faced across the midfield; Cesc Fàbregas.

“I think he’s an amazing coach. It’s been difficult because obviously I am used to calling the coach ‘Gaffer’ and everyone here calls him ‘Mister.’”

“Because I have played against him, it’s a different relationship than what I have had with previous coaches. For me, he was one of the best midfielders ever to play, so to be able to work under him and with him is an honour. It’s been a great experience so far.”

Fàbregas has already pointed out that Dele has the ability to be a mentor to Como’s young talent, a role he’s embracing with his usual mix of honesty and humour.

“I don’t know how that role is gonna go,” he jokes. “But I am definitely trying to help them as a senior player now, to help them learn from the mistakes I feel I made in my career in the early stages.

“They’re a very talented group of players. I didn’t expect them to be as good as they are. The level is high, and they have some really special players.”

Those young stars are in good hands with Dele. Working with managers like Pochettino and Conte, he’s picked up a lot of invaluable advice along the way.

“I actually really enjoyed working with Conte. It was at the end of my time at Tottenham. I respected everything he did there during my time as well and seeing the way he worked, the passion he had. 

“I think Poch was always telling me to be myself. He wasn’t pulling me up on things that were unnecessary, whereas other coaches would have. He just allowed me to express myself in ways that I wanted to.

“Being given freedom on the pitch is important. As footballers, we all have our own styles, our own things. Sometimes it could be a little too robotic -‘you have to run here, pass here’ – for me that takes the beauty away from the game. 

“We want to entertain, we want to do our own thing, and every player is different and brings different things. Sometimes you think of something on the spot and it works and it’s something that wasn’t planned so I think going away from structure and having your own uniqueness and your own personality is important.”

As well as picking up advice from coaches, Dele has had his fair share of opponents that have dished out their own lessons. So who are the toughest players he’s faced so far?

“Obviously, we weren’t directly against each other. But for me, Messi is the toughest. 

“Kevin De Bruyne is one that I always put up there because we play similar positions. I’d be behind him and I’d see chances and I’d think, please, please don’t see that pass. And he would always seem to see it and find the pass perfectly. That is something I give a lot of respect to.”

Respect is something Dele possesses a lot of, especially for those who have helped him make his way in the game from such a young age. The list of his biggest influences is exhaustive.

“There have been a few,” he says. “From an early age, obviously the family that adopted me. My coach Dan Micciche and then Carl Robinson. Up until when I started playing at 16, they were a big influence giving me the chance to play professional football at men’s level at such a young age.

“Then going to Tottenham, Poch and all his staff. I have already expressed how much they meant to me.”

This is a player who is hungry, ambitious and determined. A player who was once the most exciting young talent in England, twice named PFA Young Player of the Year, an FA Cup semi-final hero at Wembley, and a star in Tottenham’s unforgettable Champions League run.

There is, though, plenty more to come. 

“What age do they say your prime years are? I think it’s 28. I think I am definitely not done yet,” he says. 

“I am a very ambitious person. I am hungrier than I have ever been. I think it’s been a difficult two years for me in which I have learned a lot and had to grow. 

“I’m a big believer in everything happening for a reason, and I think my purpose is to come here now and to exceed what I had done already. 

“I don’t think anything that I put as my goal is too high to reach. I’ve made it clear before that one of my closest goals is to be in the squad for the next World Cup in 2026. That is still my aim.”

Como’s style of play will help with those ambitions. It suits him down to the ground—quick, sharp, fluid, exciting.

“It is definitely entertaining,” he says. “I really feel attached to the team, so now, when I am watching, I’m jumping up and celebrating and feel like there’s a lot of quality on the pitch. I can’t wait to get out there and be a part of it.”

Part of that excitement is down to the initial impression made by Serie A and watching Como’s performances in the top flight, though it isn’t as if he is new to it. After all he’s played Italian clubs and of course its national team before.

“Our team doesn’t play like how I imagined,” he says.

“It surprised me how well Como plays with this style that Cesc has put in and how much of a difference it is against everyone else we’ve come up against. It creates a lot of problems for the other teams and it’s a joy to watch.

“It’s definitely a tough league, and everyone knows it’s one of the best leagues in the world.”

Off The Pitch

What would be your dream five-a-side team based on players you have played with?

He laughs. “In goal, Hugo Lloris. Kyle Walker in defence. Mousa Dembélé has to be in there. Harry Kane. This is a Tottenham team, isn’t it?” he grins. “One more, who do I put in there? I think I might go with Jadon Sancho. He grew up playing street football like me. He’d be a good part of the team.”

And what about your superstitions? 

“I am very superstitious. The main ones are I always eat spaghetti bolognese the day before and for the pre match meal but never any other day. 

“On the day of the game when I wake up, I always get dressed on the right side first and then the left side. I have also had the same shin pads since under 11 so if anyone loses them…”

How is your Italian coming on?

“I am starting lessons. I know how to order a coffee very well,” he lifts his coffee cup with a wry smile. 

“But I think it’s difficult right now. I am going to start my lessons next week. The guys are teaching me things, but some of them are lying! They say it means ‘hello, how are you,’ and then someone else will tell me I can’t say that. 

“I need a professional teacher. Hopefully, by the end of the year, I will be fluent. That’s the plan.”

And away from football? What people might not know you are good at? 

“Magic tricks or Rubik’s Cube, I can do a Rubik’s cube pretty quick. I say pretty quick because I have seen people do it in 30 seconds, which I haven’t gotten to that level yet. My quickest time is two minutes.”

If you owned a boat what would you name it?

“It’s a good question. Dele-Light, like delight. You know?”

What would your life motto be?

“Never give up. I think it’s important, and it’s something I live by. No matter what happens or whatever I go through, at the end of it, I want people to say, ‘at least he never gave up.’”