In the late 2010s, Son Heung-min, Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen were in the spotlight by forming a Tottenham DESK duo, but since then, they have lost their skills and are now in an invincible position, and they are approaching the hope of continuing their active career.
This is because the Italian Serie A club has sought to recruit him.
Nikolo Skira, a journalist specializing in the transfer market, said Tuesday that Genoa has requested information on Ali, signaling that he is keeping an eye on Ali. He also said that he is looking into things to verify his free agent status.
Genoa was promoted to Serie A in the 2023-2024 season and ranked 11th among the 20 teams. This season, the team ranks 16th with one win, two draws and three losses in six games.
Genoa has ties to Tottenham, Ali’s former team. In January, it sold its key defender, Romania’s national team, Radu Dragusin, to Tottenham, but also loaned side defender Jed Spence as a counter-payment. Alberto Zilardino, who played for Italy in the past and made a name for himself with a violin ceremony, is in charge.
Since joining Tottenham in 2015, Ali has grown into a top player under the guidance of Mauricio Pochettino. He won the PFA Young Player of the Year award for two consecutive seasons and has emerged as a rising star to lead England’s future by scoring 32 goals during two seasons as a midfielder.
He also opened Tottenham’s heyday by forming a DESK line with Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and Christian Eriksen.
During the 2016-2017 season, he peaked as a “middle-rider.” With his genius, strong kick, and outstanding goal-scoring ability, he recorded 18 goals and nine assists in 37 matches in the league. Considering that he was a central midfielder, he was an outstanding striker. Thanks to Ali’s performance, Tottenham won the runner-up prize in the Premier League.
He played in the 2018 Russia World Cup and contributed to Tottenham’s runner-up finish in the UEFA Champions League in the 2018-2019 season.
However, Ali, who had shown ups and downs in his performance since then, collapsed sharply. He fell short of expectations by scoring eight goals and four assists in the 2019-2020 season when Jose Mourinho took office. He was completely eliminated from the competition to become a starting member from the 2020-2021 season, and moved to Everton in the winter of the 2021-2022 season.
Last season, he was loaned to Turkiye’s prestigious Besiktas, but returned after six months. The contract with Everton ended as of June 30.
Although he has recently suffered ups and downs in relation to soccer, he was supported by many soccer players, including Son Heung-min, when he revealed his unfortunate family history last year.
Ali, who was interviewed by English legend Gary Neville at the time, said, “I was sexually harassed by my mom’s friend when I was 6, and she was an alcoholic,” adding, “I started smoking at the age of 7 and sold drugs at the age of 8.”
“I was sent to Africa to stay with my father, but he disappeared and came back after six months,” he said. “I was adopted when I was 12, and I shouldn’t want more than my new family did for me, but I couldn’t open my heart and always had to pretend to be a good child because I could be abandoned at any time.”
Sympathy for him increased as his past wrongdoings were revealed. “I learned that I needed treatment when I returned from Turkiye. I decided to go to a rehabilitation facility to treat my mental health, addiction and trauma as I was mentally ill,” Ali said, vowing to work hard to recover mentally.
Ali, who played 13 games for Everton last season, has been struggling to sign again, training with Everton, but no news has been heard.
In the meantime, Genoa seems to be seeking to recruit him. It is a place where Spence has good memories for English players, such as playing as a loan player for Genoa in the first half of this year, and returning to Tottenham, so if Ali makes efforts, he can use it as a springboard for his revival in Genoa. 안전놀이터
During a recent training session in Everton, Ali sang his dream of participating in the 2026 World Cup in North Korea and the U.S.
