Last year it was Tanguy Ndombele, this year it's Dele Alli.

There has always been some sort of perplexing saga going on at Tottenham Hotspur with the divisive Jose Mourinho at the helm.

The €70m-rated (£64m) attacking midfielder has started just two of their eight matches in all competitions this season, even missing the matchday squad 50% of the time.

It comes not too long after Amazon's 'All or Nothing' docuseries in which Mourinho described Alli as "lazy," although he said it with more colourful language.

As a result of a combination of the above, the 24-year-old has had his Spurs future thrown into doubt with a loan move to Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain thought to be in discussion during the final stages of the summer transfer window.

Indeed, Alli could be running out of time to convince the Special One over his credentials, so perhaps he should consider reinventing himself to give him the best shot at salvaging his career in N17.

On the Chalkboard

Currently, Mourinho's system does not account for a number ten, which is Alli's true position.

Instead, he looks to Harry Kane to drop deeper, thus allowing Heung-min Son to nip in behind as an inside forward - this was best seen against Southampton where the pair combined for all five goals.

Such a tactic has long been a mainstay of the Portuguese's gameplan - think of Marcus Rashford at Manchester United and Samuel Eto'o in the treble-winning Inter Milan side.

This is probably the position Alli will need to transition into if he's to have much of a future under Mourinho at Spurs.

Considering he's sat on £100k-per-week as the third-highest earner at the club, if push comes to shove, Daniel Levy could well look to cash in.

In 2017, Alli was lauded as a "freak of a talent" who could one day be up there with Steven Gerrard and Paul Scholes as one of the best midfielders in Premier League history, and boy was he right to after a campaign which produced a whopping 21 goals and nine assists.

But the Englishman, who is now out of the England squad too, has failed to hit such substantial heights since, managing just nine goals last season.

We also know that the 57-year-old isn't afraid to ruffle some feathers or cast-off players he either cannot trust or cannot get the best out of.

At the current rate, Alli could well become Mourinho's next Kevin De Bruyne, who he infamously sold whilst in charge at Chelsea before he went on to become a household name in the Premier League at Manchester City.

Of course the Belgian is merely one example - albeit a relevant one given Alli's position - but you could also throw in Romelu Lukaku and Mohamed Salah too.

It certainly appears as if a new role as a Son-like inside forward would be the only way the two-time PFA Young Player of the Year earns any form of redemption in north London.

AND in other news, Spurs must surely regret Levy decision on £22m Mourinho target who's better than Doherty...