Former Tottenham Hotspur striker Darren Bent believes Spurs must offload midfielder Dele Alli before the summer transfer window closes if they have no plans on playing him.
Despite making nine changes to his side for tonight's Carabao Cup fourth-round tie against Chelsea at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Jose Mourinho - the Spurs head coach - has been unable to find a place in the match-day 18 for the England international.
It is the third domestic game in succession that Alli has not been involved in, with Mourinho refusing to comment on his current absence.
The England international is not currently injured, meaning his omission from the squad is purely down to Mourinho favouring other players ahead of him.
As only natural, his absence from the Spurs squad once again has led to intrigue and speculation about his future, with the transfer window now less than a week away from closing for business. Alli has been heavily linked with a loan switch to French giants Paris Saint-Germain.
Reacting to his latest absence, former Spurs man Bent pointed out that there was little point in Spurs retaining his services if Mourinho has no intentions of playing him.
"I'm a believer that Dele Alli on his day is a top player," Bent told Sky Sports. "We know he has regressed in the last couple of season with injuries and he has maybe lost a bit of confidence.
"But if he is going to be there after the window shuts, they are going to have to figure out a way of getting the best out of him, because we have seen Dele Alli put in some incredible performances and it was only a couple of years ago he was superb for England at the World Cup.
But you can't have a player of that quality just sitting there not doing anything. That's not good for anybody.
"I think eventually it will come to a head because Alli is not going to want to spend the rest of the season not playing games. Mourinho isn't going to want him there and it will end really badly.
"Something needs to happen between now and the end of the window because he is too good a player not to play between now and the end of the season."
Alli's last appearance for Spurs came in the 3-1 Europa League win over Shkendija last week, as the midfielder played the first hour of the contest.
