Dele Alli has been injured during a robbery at his home in north London. The Tottenham midfielder was held at knifepoint and punched after burglars broke in during the early hours of Wednesday morning.
The 24-year-old was hit in the face during the terrifying incident but has not sustained serious injuries. Alli has been isolating with his brother and their respective partners.
Two men broke into the property just after midnight on Wednesday morning and threatened the England international. He sustained a facial injury before the intruders fled.
“Thank you for all the messages,” Alli posted on Twitter. “Horrible experience but we’re all okay now. Appreciate the support.”
The attackers took numerous items from the house including jewellery and watches. Police in the UK are understood to be reviewing CCTV footage of the incident in Hadley Wood.
The Metropolitan police said: “Police were called at approximately 00:35 on Wednesday May 13th to reports of a robbery at a residential address in Barnet.
“Two males gained entry to the property and stole items of jewellery, including watches, before fleeing. One male occupant of the property, aged in his 20s, suffered a minor facial injury after being assaulted. He did not require hospital treatment. No arrests; enquiries into the circumstances continue.”
A Spurs spokesperson added: “We have been offering our support to Dele and those isolating with him. We encourage anyone with any information to help the police with their investigation to come forward.”
Alli and his Spurs teammates are in the process of meeting the Premier League over Project Restart as they work towards a return to action next month.
The latest raid comes two months after Jan Vertonghen's family was robbed at knifepoint while Alli's Tottenham teammate was away on Champions League duty. Vertonghen was part of the squad who travelled to Germany for the last-16 second leg against RB Leipzig in March when four thieves wearing balaclavas raided his home. They were armed with knives, but Vertonghen's wife and two children were unharmed.
In November Ashley Smith was jailed for 10 years for attempting to rob Arsenal's Mesut Özil and Sead Kolasinac of luxury watches worth £200,000.
Smith and his accomplice, who were both armed with improvised blades during the incident last July, were fought off by Kolasinac. Özil, whose wife was in the car, drove the players from the ambush. The would-be robbers pursued the Gunners pair on a stolen moped and threw stones at their vehicle causing “significant” damage.
- Guardian
