"I don’t care what car he drives, what clothes he wears" - Frank Lampard defends Dele Alli from criticism following Everton presentation
Frank Lampard's two new prized Everton players Dele Alli and Donny van de Beek were unveiled at half-time during the club's FA Cup 4th round match against Brentford. Although Everton cruised to a comfortable 4-1 victory and the fans were delighted to see Dele Alli and van de Beek, the former was heavily criticized for his dressing sense by Glen Hoddle.
"I didn't like the way he walked out on the pitch with what he was wearing. I thought he'd just got dragged off the street to be honest. If I'm an Everton fan, you're going to a new club. Put a tracksuit on at least or something," Hoddle had said about Alli's appearance at the presentation.
However, Everton's new manager Frank Lampard doesn't seem to share Hoddle's outlook. Addressing the remarks in a pre-match press conference, Lampard said:
“I’ve heard some of the reaction and I’ve got a lot of respect for everyone who’s spoken.
“But when you’re working closely with players and working with Dele, my personal opinion is that I don’t care what car he drives, what clothes he wears, as long as I get a lad who comes to training every day and wants to improve every day. Respects the club, respects his teammates and then produces and gives everything to produce.
“I think the modern day has moved on and it’s changed we all have to be very aware of that and again I’m not hitting back at any form of observation because everyone’s allowed their own opinion."
Lampard went on to praise Dele Alli as well as van de Beek.
"But I can only deal with what’s in front of me and when I’ve just mentioned that Dele and Donny are both great lads, I mean it.
“And maybe Donny wears an overcoat that's longer than what Dele wears, a different kind of jacket, that doesn’t bother me as long as they produce on the pitch," he said.
The new Everton boss ultimately reiterated that as long as the footballing aspects are respected, he will have no problems with any player. He said:
"Everyone has their own individual personality. To try and handcuff that or restrict that I think would be detrimental. So as I say, as long as players do the right behaviours when it comes to football and doing the right things I’ve got no worries.”
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Frank Lampard set for 1st Premier League game as Everton boss, Dele Alli and van de Beek likely to feature
Lampard's Everton are scheduled to take on Newcastle United in the Premier League tomorrow in what will be the English manager's first league game in charge of his new side.
The Toffees currently find themselves in a dire situation as they sit 16th in the Premier League table, just 4 points away from the dreaded relegation zone. Lampard will know how critical each game is going to be and will look to get off the mark with a win against 19th-placed Newcastle. Dele Alli and van de Beek could likely feature and the fans will hope they can be impactful.
he’s only been with us just over a week, and I’ve already watched more minutes of press conferences than I have in a long time. I love Lampard, I really do 💙 he’s only been with us just over a week, and I’ve already watched more minutes of press conferences than I have in a long time.
It’s so important to have a manager who speaks as well as he does, for both the players and fans.