Ex-England international considers retirement at 29 after being thrown out of first team by Cesc Fabregas

Dele Alli’s turbulent football journey has taken another painful turn, with reports from Italy confirming he has been left out of Como’s first-team plans by head coach Cesc Fabregas.

The former England international, once hailed as a generational talent, is now reportedly considering early retirement as his future in the game hangs by a thread.

It was supposed to be a fresh start in a peaceful footballing environment, but Dele Alli’s Italian adventure looks set to end before it ever truly began.

After joining Como in January on an 18-month deal, the 29-year-old hoped to relaunch his career in Serie A. However, a nightmare debut in March, where he was sent off just nine minutes into a clash with AC Milan, appears to have sealed his fate.

Fabregas was furious with the red card, and things have never been the same since. Despite recovering from injury and returning to training, Dele has been frozen out of the first-team setup.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, he now trains separately alongside a group of out-of-favour players, and his name is nowhere near Como’s pre-season plans for the 2025–26 campaign.

With no clear path back into the squad and his confidence shattered, Dele is now believed to be seriously weighing retirement before even turning 30.

It is hard to believe how quickly the story has changed for former Tottenham and Everton star Dele Alli.

From lighting up the Premier League under Mauricio Pochettino and scoring 22 goals in the 2016–17 season, to representing England at the 2018 World Cup and playing in a Champions League final in 2019, Dele was once the future of English football.

But a brutal mix of injuries, poor form, and personal trauma have derailed a career that once seemed destined for greatness. After a disappointing spell at Everton and a failed loan at Besiktas that ended with a long-term groin injury, his move to Como was widely seen as a lifeline.

And for a brief moment, it looked promising, until that red card at San Siro turned everything upside down. Off the pitch, Dele’s emotional revelations about his troubled childhood gave context to his battles, but also reminded fans of the human behind the headlines.

Now, despite still having a year left on his contract, there are no guarantees he will ever wear the Como shirt again. If this is indeed the end, it is a sobering fall for one of English football’s brightest stars.