Everton have become well known for overspending and making the wrong transfer decisions since the arrival of owner Farhad Moshiri, and the signing of Dele Alli could be the latest howler by the club, as Frank Lampard's hasty decision to bring in the ex-Tottenham player has fallen flat so far.

Before Lampard and Alli joined Goodison Park, the attacking threat in the Everton side was already of high quality, with Anthony Gordon and Demarai Gray making a huge impact on the side this season so far, whilst star players Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison have struggled with fitness throughout the campaign.

Having said that, the injury crisis that has plagued the Toffees this season rightfully sparked urgency from the board to bolster the team's options, with the club adding five new players including Donny Van de Beek and Vitaliy Mykolenko, who have both been regularly starting in the side since their arrival, however the same can't be said for Alli.

The attacking midfielder has been given four opportunities so far to impress his new manager, all of which he has started on the bench, with Lampard clearly still not sure if he can rely on Alli to perform at the level needed to secure Everton's safety in the Premier League this season.

Most of his game time so far was given against Newcastle United at St James' Park, when he played 65 minutes due to an early injury to Gray in the first half, and over the 3-1 defeat, Alli failed to make a good first impression with a poor performance.

According to SofaScore, the 25-year-old liability lost possession of the ball in every two touches on Tyneside, won only 50% of his 16 duels and had a shocking 59% pass accuracy throughout the game, with no shots on or off target, proving to be ineffective in both offensive and defensive play.

Since then, the midfielder who "creates problems" according to his former manager Jose Mourinho, has not featured in the side for more than 20 minutes at a time, with Lampard choosing to rely on the attacking players who were already in the team before his arrival over the England international, further proving that he could be yet another flop signing for the club.

Everton have a tough challenge this weekend against Tottenham Hotspur and it will be interesting to see if Lampard gives Alli a second chance to shine in the clash away from home and gives him the opportunity to start in the Everton team for the first time against his former club.

In other news: Lampard must finally unleash £16m Patterson in Cup