The FA have this evening confirmed that Tottenham Hotspur’s Dele Alli has accepted the charge of violent conduct following Monday night’s incident in the 1-1 draw with West Brom.
Alli will now serve a retrospective three-match ban with immediate effect and will therefore miss his side’s remaining three league fixtures.
The midfielder was involved in an altercation with West Brom’s Claudio Yacob and appeared to strike out at the Argentine. An FA panel has since reviewed the incident and rejected Alli’s suggestion that a total of three matches was “clearly excessive”.
The news will clearly have a significant impact on Fantasy Football managers: Alli is currently found in over 33% of Fantasy Premier League squads and has already been sold by over 44,000 ahead of the weekend’s deadline.
Priced at 6.3 in the FPL, the PFA Young Player of the Year had seen a recent spike in ownership following his two-goal salvo in the Gameweek 34 win at Stoke City.
Alli followed that with a blank in Monday night’s stalemate but earned a couple of FPL bonus points to offer some return on investment. However, his clash with Yacob has dealt a bitter blow, particularly to those who turned back to the Spurs man following a cull of single-fixture assets ahead of Gameweek 34.
Alli’s suspension will at least provide an obvious trade ahead of the Gameweek 37 doubles, with FPL managers now seeking assets who promise two fixtures.
Chelsea’s midfield are now back on the radar following a profitable display in Saturday’s 4-1 win at Bournemouth, with Eden Hazard making an unlikely return to the Fantasy reckoning.
Cesc Fabregas, Pedro and Willian also earned the points at Dean Court, though Alli owners may need to free up cash elsewhere to acquire their services.
West Ham’s pair of home clashes next week will promote faith in Dimitri Payet as the Hammers prepare to say goodbye to Upton Park. Alternatively, Manuel Lanzini and Michail Antonio – should the latter be shifted into midfield – both offer straightforward replacements for Alli at 4.9 and 5.3.
As we saw in double Gameweek 34, Liverpool and United’s cup commitments and resultant rotation, allied with Everton’s lack of form, mean those three all have the potential to frustrate.
Elsewhere, the battle to beat the drop could persuade the Alli exodus to consider the likes of Robbie Brady (5.4) and Wahbi Khazri (5.7), who may emerge as key to Norwich and Sunderland’s chances of survival. Similarly, Andros Townsend (5.7) is in form and favourably priced ahead of back-to-back clashes with Palace and Villa that could help him atone for the lack of a double Gameweek 37.
Closer to home, Alli’s potential absence could pave the way for Nacer Chadli (6.6) to earn starts in Mauricio Pochettino’s lineup. While the Belgian has the ability to make an impact, Fantasy managers must now consider the effect that Alli’s suspension will have on Spurs’ attacking fluidity.
Having scored 10 goals and earned 12 assists in a hugely impressive campaign, Alli’s absence will surely prove a major setback.
Certainly Harry Kane’s 46% ownership will be mindful that Alli’s absence could also effect the striker’s productivity over the final three fixtures.
Given that Leicester City could end the title race with a win at Old Trafford prior to Tottenham’s next outing at Chelsea on Monday, there are now mounting doubts on Kane’s remaining points output.
