Dele Alli has been utilising an academy pitch at Tottenham's Hotspur Way training ground to maintain his fitness. The 29-year-old returned to his former club last month as a special guest for the north London Derby and appears to have stayed in the capital.

Addressing those inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium during half-time of the Arsenal match, he stated: "I hope you've missed me as much as I've missed you. A lot has happened in our journeys since we were last together, but I'm back today, and I hope you know that you'll always be my family."

Though he is only training at his old team's facilities, a sensational return to Tottenham is a possibility, particularly with Mauricio Pochettino's comeback already appearing probable for the 2026/27 campaign. The Argentine will lead the USA at their home World Cup this summer, but may leave following the tournament when his contract expires.

He also added: "I can't wait to get back on the pitch playing, hopefully it won't be too long now." Those comments all but confirmed that he has no plans to retire despite last playing for a club nearly one year ago.And his strong relationship with the club, after a seven-year spell, was further on display by him training at Hotspur Way.

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On Wednesday afternoon, Dele posted a photo and some videos on his Instagram story showcasing him in action. The latter clips featured some passing drills around practice mannequins and shots into open goals. Dele has been without a club since departing Serie A side Como in September 2025, with spells at Everton and Besiktas coming before that.

Dele returning to his former club as a contracted player, while unlikely, cannot be entirely ruled out especially with the chance of a Pochettino comeback increasing.

Addressing the possibility of managing Spurs once more, Pochettino told "Radiogaceta de los Deportes" on RNE in Spain last month: "I'm always linked (to clubs), to Tottenham, just like at one time I was linked to Espanyol, or to other clubs.

"In the end, especially because of my past at those clubs, when things aren't going well, people tend to fall back on emotions and say, 'Well, with Mauricio we played good football,' or whatever it may be. "But no. We're focused on the World Cup, on the United States. My contract runs until after the World Cup, so after that we'll see what might happen. Open to everything, right?".