Dele Alli turned down a surprise offer to join Salford City last summer, ending speculation about a potential move to the League Two leaders. The approach was made by Karl Robinson, Alli's former manager at MK Dons, who was in charge at Salford at the time. The club he could have joined sits first in League Two on 25 points after 12 games, with a record of eight wins, one draw and three losses.

Robinson said he extended the invitation after a chance meeting with the unattached midfielder in June. "I would 100 per cent give him a chance," Robinson told reporters. "I saw him in the gym in June, and I told him to come to Salford." Alli, however, declined the proposal, leaving his search for a new club ongoing.

Salford's ambitious approach

The approach highlights the ambition of a club currently sitting top of the table. Salford City are first in League Two with 25 points from 12 games, holding a four-point lead at the summit. Their recent form has been formidable, with four wins and a draw from their last five matches, a run that continued with a 2-1 victory at Bristol Rovers on Tuesday. In that match, Brendan Sarpeng-Wiredu and Daniel Udoh scored the goals. This result extended their winning run to three games, following a 2-1 win over Crawley Town where Macaulay Langstaff scored twice, and a 2-0 victory at Cheltenham. This season they have scored 19 goals and conceded 12.

Robinson, who was later dismissed after losing the play-off final last season, has long been an admirer of Alli's talent. He once compared the midfielder to David Beckham and Zinedine Zidane during their time together at MK Dons. Alli, now 30, moved from there to Tottenham Hotspur at 18, where he made 269 appearances, scored 67 goals, and won the PFA Young Player of the Year award twice.

Alli's recent struggles

His career has stalled significantly since then. The 37-cap England international has been without a club for over a year. His last competitive action was a brief, ill-fated 18-month spell at Como, managed by Cesc Fabregas. Alli's only appearance for the Italian club lasted just 10 minutes before he was sent off for a dangerous challenge on Ruben Loftus-Cheek in a 2-1 defeat to AC Milan. He left the club shortly after.

Salford, co-owned by Gary Neville and Paul Scholes, will now focus on maintaining their league momentum without him. Their next test is a tough away trip to face fourth-placed Walsall on Monday, 26 October. The fixture is a key part of a challenging schedule as they aim to consolidate their position at the top, a task led by their top scorer this season, R. Graydon, who has 11 goals.

First reported at Daily Mirror Football