Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder and BBC Sport pundit Jermaine Jenas believes current Spurs star Dele Alli should pip Chelsea duo Eden Hazard and N’Golo Kante to the Premier League Player of the Year award.
The Blues are currently seven points clear of their London rivals and look set to reclaim the title they last won in 2015, and the Hazard and Kante have been two of the key men for Antonio Conte’s side this year.
However, Mauricio Pochettino’s men continue to push them all the way and they closed the gap to four points for a short amount of time on Saturday after thrashing Watford 4-0 at White Hart Lane.
Alli scored his 16th Premier League goal of the season against the Hornets – and his 13th in his last 15 top flight games – when he unleashed a brilliant curling strike beyond Heurelho Gomes from outside the penalty area.
The 20-year-old continues to get better and better and in a conversation with fellow pundit Garth Crooks during the Spurs match on Saturday, Jenas said that he believes Alli should be crowned as the Premier League Player of the Year.
Speaking his weekly BBC Sport column, Crooks said: “The moment Dele Alli bent his super shot around the well-beaten Heurelho Gomes in the Watford goal, former Spurs midfielder Jermaine Jenas said: “He’s the player of the season for me.”
“Jermaine instigated a frightful debate prior to the programme around who deserved to win the PFA Player of the Year. Dion Dublin, Dan Walker, Martin Keown and myself immediately engaged in the argument with differing opinions but generally agreed the prize would probably go to either to Eden Hazard or N’Golo Kante.
“Jermaine seemed incredulous that none of us had mentioned Alli and said that he wanted more flair from his midfield players which suggested Kante came up short in that department as far as he was concerned.”
Alli will be looking to help his side keep the pressure on Chelsea when they host Bournemouth at White Hart Lane on Saturday, with the Blues facing Manchester United at Old Trafford the following day.