Dele leaves Everton and is set to 'turn a new page'

Dele Alli says "it's the right time for me to turn a new page" after cutting his ties with Everton.

The former England midfielder has been a free agent since his contract at Goodison Park expired in June, but he continued to train with the club.

The 28-year-old, who spent six weeks in rehab last year as he dealt with childhood trauma, attended Como's 2-0 Serie A win at home to Roma on Sunday.

Cesc Fabregas, head coach of Como, has said Dele could train with them, external after Christmas.

In a message on Instagram,, external Dele thanked his former club, saying that "2025 may set me on a new path with some exciting opportunities".

He added: "Before any of that happens, it's very important for me to make clear how grateful I am to all the fans, staff and players at Everton FC for the support they have given me."

After leaving Tottenham for Everton in January 2022, Dele made just one Premier League start, plus 12 substitute appearances.

His last competitive game was in February 2023 while on loan at Turkish side Besiktas.

"It's been an incredibly tough journey trying to put the final pieces together to regain match fitness and I cannot thank the Everton staff enough for the hard work they have put into this process," Dele added.

"Unfortunately, things haven't worked out as we all would have hoped, and I think it's the right time for me to turn a new page. I want to wish everyone at this amazing club the very best of luck."

Dele joined Everton on the same day they appointed Frank Lampard as a manager. Lampard was succeeded by Sean Dyche in January 2023.

Dyche said on Friday: "The major point that we agreed, as a collective, was to get him back to a good place and I think he is there.

"He's had so much misfortune with injuries, you could not imagine the challenges he has had. We wish him well and that is all we can do.

"He has been nothing but an ease for me to work with. On to a new challenge but we certainly wish him well."