Dele Alli debt dispute persists as Como exit compounds uncertainty

A public dispute has erupted between former England midfielder Dele Alli and Ard Adz, a jeweller who has also built a profile as a rapper. Adz alleges Alli owes him £6,000 for a bracelet and aired his grievance in an Instagram video on Friday morning, sharing messages between them that were posted and later deleted.

In the clip and accompanying messages, Adz pleaded with his roughly 200,000 followers to contact Alli to settle the debt, saying he had just been released from prison four months earlier and needed the money.

Adz later posted an update claiming Alli had paid the amount in the afternoon, saying the debt had been settled and thanking those who helped ensure the payment. The online flare-up comes as Alli’s stint at Como was formally wound down, underscoring a period of professional turbulence for the midfielder.

Como announced the mutual termination of Alli’s contract earlier this month. The player, who joined in January on an initial 18-month deal with an option for a further year, made just one competitive appearance for the club and was sent off ten minutes after coming on against AC Milan. The club’s statement thanked Alli for his time and wished him the best going forward.

Como manager Cesc Fabregas has since indicated that Alli was not part of the club’s plans for the 2025–26 campaign, and the termination left the midfielder a free agent as the transfer window closed.

From a broader perspective, Alli rose quickly from MK Dons to Tottenham Hotspur, exploding onto the scene with a 22-goals-in-a-season surge during the 2016–17 campaign and earning 37 England caps, including appearances at the 2018 World Cup. His career trajectory later drifted through injuries and form dips, with spells at Everton and Besiktas in between, before the move to Como.

As of now, Alli is not attached to a club, and reports have circulated that he is weighing retirement as he assesses his future in professional football.