Former Chelsea striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink believes Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho wants to offload Dele Alli this month.
Hasselbaink, who has just taken charge of Burton Albion, believes Mourinho wants to make an example of Alli - just as he did with him when they were together at Chelsea.
The Dutchman was at Chelsea when Mourinho first took charge in 2004, but was on his way after a season under the Portuguese. Hasselbaink ended that campaign Chelsea's top scorer - the third time he had done so in four seasons - but left Stamford Bridge for Middlesbrough on a free transfer.
And while reflecting on Dele Alli's situation at Spurs, he can see similarities to his time under Mourinho.
He explained on the Daily Mail via TMW: "He used me as an example. He wanted to show that he could fire any player. I was still the top scorer of the team, even though two great strikers arrived that year (Hernán Crespo and Adrian Mutu).
"I left and Chelsea won the Premier League. At Tottenham he's doing the same thing with Dele Alli. That's how he manages the team and gets the successes. We can't blame him, he's a winner. This year Tottenham have it all, it's the best chance they've ever had to win the title."
Over his time with Chelsea, Hasselbaink played 177 games, scoring 88 goals. Now 48, Hasselbaink has just been appointed manager of Burton Albion for a second time in his managerial career.
- updated December 6
