Tottenham Hotspur lost their way following the departure of Mauricio Pochettino, as Daniel Levy took a sharp turn away from what had been ushering in a slow and steady return to the top.
The former Southampton boss had cultivated a fine atmosphere in north London once again, turning mid-table finishes into European nights, before even launching a Premier League title charge before reaching the Champions League final too.
They were poised to win plenty, but seemingly out of nowhere, their chairman got unsettled. He would admit his failures in the recent fan forum: "I had gone through a period where we'd almost won. With Mauricio we went through some very good times. We didn't quite get there but we came very close and we had a change in strategy. The strategy was 'let's bring in a trophy manager.'
"We did it twice and look you have to learn from your mistakes. They're great managers but maybe not for this club. For what we want, we want to play in a certain way and if that means it has to take a little bit longer to win maybe it's the right thing for us. That's why bringing Ange in was from my point of view the right decision."
That period of success was underpinned by numerous stars, as Harry Kane rose to prominence with his goalscoring and creativity, whilst the defensive foundation was built from the rock-solid pairing of Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld. Even Mousa Dembele in the midfield marked one of the greatest generals the club had ever seen.
However, it could be argued that few typified such a positive era more than Dele Alli, who has overseen a tough drop-off in recent years.
His story is a bleak one, and with immense bravery, he would share it back in July. However, it is worth remembering just how good the 27-year-old was when he was at his best.
How many goals has Dele Alli scored?
Having joined from MK Dons as a teenager, instantly many stood up and took note when the Lilywhites saw fit to unload £5m on such an unproven youngster.
Whilst he had torn up League One courtesy of his offensive exploits from midfield with 34 goal contributions in total, few could possibly have expected him to take to the top flight with such ease. However, as is often the case with generational talents such as him, there is no limit to his excellence.
The England international would score ten goals and assist nine in just his first year with Spurs, taking no time to adapt, before preparing for the season of his life.
Featuring in 37 out of a possible 38 league matches, Dele would score 18 and assist a further nine playing off Kane, truly taking the world by storm in the process. His performances were mesmeric and completely unforeseen, showing little signs of slowing down.
Manchester City and Barcelona even took an interest in the creative superstar, to which his club replied with an appropriate if deterring price tag of £150m. He had the world at his feet, and Pochettino would relentlessly praise his star youngster: "If he is not the best young player in Europe, he’s one of the best. Look at his age and his statistics, the potential is massive."
He would later note in a separate interview: "He's mature enough now to accept sometimes what happens on the pitch, but he is so calm, he is so brave. Then he scored – and he scored a great goal – and I am very pleased. He needs to improve, he is not at his best expression, but it is coming."
Few could possibly predict that his claim would soon ring untrue, and that this would instead mark the sad peak of a player once destined to win it all.
What happened with Dele Alli?
Unsurprisingly, as the current Chelsea boss was dismissed, there were a few who took issue with that decision. After all, he and Dele shared a father-son relationship, with which the underlying implications could explain his sudden drop-off.
Jose Mourinho failed to recapture that spark, and eventually the club decided enough was enough. He was sent to Everton with little fanfare on a free transfer, marking the true low point for such a technically gifted player. Despite that, talkSPORT pundit Darren Ambrose retained that he should have been kept, suggesting an "outstanding player" remained in there.
However, upon speaking to Gary Neville on The Overlap, it became clear that his issues were far from the football pitch.
Speaking with immense courage, he revealed the fractured relationship he endured with his parents, among other horrors that plagued his youth. He struggled to hold back tears as he told the former Manchester United full-back, who tried desperately to comfort a man clearly suffering from so much emotional turmoil.
2019/20
25
8
4
2018/19
25
5
3
2017/18
36
9
11
2016/17
37
18
9
2015/16
33
10
9
All stats via Transfermarkt.
Having since emerged from the six-week rehab programme to which he admitted himself, there is hope that he can come out the other side as a man no longer troubled by the ghosts of his past. Potentially, if the Toffees are lucky, he could also reignite a football career that has been understandably put on the back burner.
What is Dele Alli doing now?
Still at Finch Farm, the 6 foot 2 maestro continues to battle his fitness woes as he seeks to return to first-team action. After all, should he become available, there are few at Goodison Park who boast half as much quality as Dele.
However, to mark his sensational fall from grace, Football Transfers helps showcase that fall in valuation, from a man with a reported £150m price tag by his name.
They instead suggest that Sean Dyche's man is worth just €7.8m (£7m), as Spurs were forced to oversee the painful depreciation of one of their brightest ever stars.
During the 2021/22 season, it was Frank Lampard who managed to usher out just a glimpse of the talent English football knows well, as his half-time substitution against Crystal Palace helped spearhead the most miraculous of turnarounds as they came from 2-0 down to win 3-2.
His creativity and attacking impetus proved vital in retaining their Premier League status, a feat they will hope to accomplish again. There is no doubt that the entire football world will patiently await his return to fitness, and hope that he can once again begin starring at the elite level where many will feel he belongs.