Could Alli become the greatest ever Premier League midfielder?

It didn’t take long for Dele Alli to convince Mauricio Pochettino that he was more than just a player signed with the future in mind. While the fact that he has already scored 20 Premier League goals in his career is the main fact that’s been taken away from the comparisons to former Premier League greats, his tally of 52 top-flight appearances is equally impressive.

At just 20 the former MK Dons midfielder is a mainstay in a side that, during his entire time at the club, has had genuine title aspirations. He’s been utilised as a substitute just seven times in that spell, playing over 75% of the possible Premier League minutes since a move that many felt at the time was merely a case of ensuring that Spurs didn’t miss out on the youngster further down the line.

Pochettino himself must have been surprised at just how prepared the teenager at the time was to make an immediate impact on the first team. He was confident enough to look to Alli in an attempt to salvage a point at Old Trafford on the opening day of last season, and it only took two more substitute appearances - including a first goal for the club against eventual champions Leicester - to convince the manager that he was ready for a starting berth just five games into the season at Sunderland.

Alli’s integration into the line-up coincided with a 11-match unbeaten run, with the youngster starting all but one of the club’s next 19 league games - with that absence due to a suspension. Indeed, if you exclude bans the midfielder has missed just two league matches since he signed for Spurs, the first being the second game of last season and the latter through injury, ruling him out of this season’s North London derby.

No doubt gutted to have missed such a big game in Tottenham’s season, Alli made up for it as Spurs got their revenge on Chelsea on Wednesday, scoring a brace for the third game running. It took his tally for the season to ten goals - seven of which have come in his last four appearances following a slow start to the campaign - matching last season’s haul and meaning he is second only to Matt Le Tissier of midfielders to reach 20 Premier League goals in the fewest number of appearances.

He admitted himself that he didn’t see as much of the ball as he would have liked against the Blues - 42 touches was more only than Harry Kane for the hosts - but this ability to play a relatively minimal role in general play but still prove to be decisive is what sets Alli apart from so many. His propensity to arrive into the box and pick up goalscoring positions has understandably drawn comparisons to Frank Lampard, but in truth given his age he is so far in advance of the former England man at the same stage of his career.

After as many Premier League appearances the then West Ham midfielder had scored just 5 goals, although he was younger than Alli at the time. Nevertheless, it was a facet of his game that Lampard had to develop over time, which makes the go-to claim that Alli still has so much to learn perhaps a little presumptuous, at least from an attacking standpoint.

It’s not uncommon, after all, for players to peak earlier in their careers than others, and while that’s not necessarily the assumption in Alli’s case, it’s wide of the mark to suggest that he can really learn how to improve in that sense. Most players will go a whole career without coming close to the ability to make such intelligent runs from midfield. Alli is a rare breed in that regard, not just in England’s top-flight but in world football.

He’s certainly benefitting from playing further upfield with greater regularity, enabling him to exploit the space that Harry Kane is so skilled at creating. Morever, with the creativity of the likes of Eriksen, showcased in midweek, Alli is in the perfect place to get the best out of his advanced understanding in attacking positions.

Indeed, while he has proven capable of playing from a deeper role, the key area in which Alli can certainly improve is his defensive positioning. His natural instinct is to push forward, attempting to play on the front foot, which at times can present itself in rash challenges. This season, after all, he has committed as many fouls as he has made tackles. It’s not his game and would only see his disciplinary record come into question should he revert back, which despite calls to the contrary - suggesting that the aggression to his game shouldn’t be discouraged - does need work. Given that most of the minutes he has missed since a move to Spurs have been due to suspensions, Pochettino can’t afford for Alli to keep landing himself in hot water.

The current circumstances are ideal for the 20-year old to not only become a Tottenham legend, but an England one too. Where most would toy between the likes of Scholes, Gerrard, Lampard, Keane and Vieira in their all-time greatest Premier League XI, at the current rate Alli will undoubtedly fall into the same category.

Tottenham has proven the perfect place for his development, not only due to the tutelage of a fine manager but the skill set of those around him and the stature of the club. Alli said following the victory over Chelsea that Spurs are happy to fly under the radar as they did last season, and it’s a circumstance that has seen him flourish.

The real pressure will be on the youngster to improve the fortunes of the England national side, which is unquestionably a harder task. He is, after all, arguably the biggest talent to emerge for the Three Lions since Wayne Rooney. For Spurs’ sake they will hope that their young talisman can have greater longevity than the man that formerly carried the weight of a nation on his shoulders. For that to happen he needs to stay loyal to Tottenham, who can start readying themselves for gargantuan offers before too long.