Barnet boss opens door to Dele Alli after free-agent midfielder trains at League Two club

Dean Brennan, manager of League Two leaders Barnet, has extended an open invitation to Dele Alli to train with his squad after the former England midfielder was spotted using the club’s facilities at The Hive on a rental basis.

Alli, 30, has been a free agent since parting ways with Serie A side Como last September, following a single appearance under Cesc Fabregas — a brief cameo against AC Milan in March 2025 that ended with a red card. That outing proved to be the latest in a series of failed attempts to revive a career that once made him one of the most coveted midfielders in English football.

Brennan, speaking on talkSPORT, was candid about both the circumstances of Alli’s presence at the club and his willingness to take things further. “Our facilities are available to rent,” the Bees boss explained. “We don’t live in Disneyland down at our level so our lads have to pay their bills, pay their mortgage and we don’t get 10,000, 20,000 on the gate a game. So renting our facilities out was part of the business process at our place and it looks like Dele’s done just that.”

Despite the commercial framing, Brennan made clear his admiration for the player. “I’ll take him all day long. You would be mad not to take him. He’s a serious footballer and look, he’s going through a real tough time. There’s obviously some kind of issue why people haven’t taken him on. Everyone deserves a second chance in life.”

He added: “At our football club we have lots of lads that train with us that are out of contract and if Dele wants to come train with us the doors are open. He can use us to get fit and train with the group.”

Alli joined Tottenham Hotspur from Milton Keynes Dons in 2015 and spent seven years at the club, earning 37 senior caps for England and establishing himself as one of the Premier League’s most dynamic midfielders. His career stalled sharply after leaving Spurs in 2022, with spells at Everton and then Como failing to produce any sustained form or fitness.

Barnet currently sit top of League Two unbeaten after seven matches, though their next two fixtures — against Crawley Town and York City — have been postponed due to international call-ups.