'Too many players!' - Mourinho explains Alli's omission from Spurs squad

Dele Alli has failed to make the Tottenham matchday squad for the second consecutive time, with Jose Mourinho explaining it’s down to having ‘too many players’.

Alli started in Spurs’ 1-0 defeat to Everton in the opening day fixture of their Premier League campaign. He lasted just 45 minutes, however, before Mourinho subbed him for Moussa Sissoko.

The Lilywhites boss later insisted his decision was purely for tactical reasons amid a rumored fall-out between the pair. Omitting Alli from Thursday’s 2-1 win over Lokomotiv Plovdiv in a Europa League qualifier only fueled the rumors, though.

This turn of events in north London have sparked fresh doubts over the 24-year-old’s future. There was even a rumor, later proved false, that Spurs considered offering him to Real Madrid in exchange for Gareth Bale. While this one was a little absurd, it proved the growing belief of an exit for Dele.

Now Mourinho has left Alli out cold again for Spurs’ trip to Southampton on Saturday afternoon, suggesting the midfielder’s days at the club are indeed coming to an end.

“No, we have a huge squad with numbers that are very difficult to manage,” the Portuguese told BT Sport in a pre-match interview.

Is Dele Alli's absence against Southampton down to fitness?

"No. We have a huge squad."

"I have too many players for some positions."

Jose Mourinho explains his decision to @lynseyhipgrave1 👀 pic.twitter.com/MjbFkknYiS

— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) September 20, 2020

“I never had it, I don’t want to have it and it’s not easy for me to be here with 18 players and to have 10 training at the training ground.

“Too many players, so I start with Son, with Lucas [Moura], with Harry [Kane]. On the bench, I still have Moussa Sissoko, [Erik] Lamela, [Steven] Bergwijn. We have too many players for some positions and some of them are paying the price of this.”

Mourinho and Alli’s relationship has been under the spotlight for quite some time now. Especially when he first singled out the Englishman upon taking charge of Spurs last year, calling him out for not delivering his best form.