- Dele’s future currently uncertain
- Looking for new club
- Retirement has been ruled out
Dele’s time at Serie A side Como looks to be up after he was banished from the first-team squad by manager Fabregas. Talk of retirement at the age of just 29 has also been played down, with the midfielder now looking for a new club ahead of the start of the 2025-26 season.
Dele is said to be considering a return to England to play in the Premier League or the English Football League after making just one appearance for Como. Yet a shock move to Scotland has also been speculated on, with Russell Martin’s Rangers tipped to be an ideal destination for Dele to try and get his career back on track.
The possibility of Dele moving to Rangers was discussed by pundits on talkSPORT’s ‘Transfer Tinder’ section.
Jeff Stelling said: “Depends what the contract is like. If it was sort of appearance-related, something like that, yeah, nothing to lose. But unfortunately, and I feel for him, his track record in recent times is diabolical. So you’re not going to fork out good money with no guarantee that you’re going to get games from Dele at all. But if it’s a contract that stipulates pay-as-you-play, then that’s a completely different matter, we all remember just what a fantastic player he was. It’s very hard to see at 29 that there is going to be a revival, no matter how much we might want him to succeed. Let’s hope that that’s the case – if it’s on the basis of pay-as-you-play, it’s a no-risk, no-lose situation for Rangers.”
Former Newcastle manager Alan Pardew added: “His fall from grace has been unusual – a player of that quality, playing for England, Champions League final etc., and now can’t seem to get a contract at Como. I hope he does [revive his career], he’s a player that you don’t want to lose. Let’s hope that there’s life for him at Rangers. If you look at the history of players that have fallen from grace, it’s very rare that they come back and resurface.”
And host Shebahn Aherne responded: “It’s sad because his situation is so personal, what he’s going through. But you’d think a club like Rangers, the fans would love him, and maybe that could revive the talent that’s there.”
Fans will have to wait and see if Dele can secure a move ahead of the new season. The 29-year-old is training separately at Como but it remains to be seen if offers will arrive for the midfielder after a struggle for game time since joining the Serie A side.
