EPL side Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli's "emergence as the brightest England midfield talent in a generation has sparked a surge of interest from sponsors," according to Martyn Ziegler of the LONDON TIMES. Adidas is "in negotiations with the 19-year-old's representatives" over what will likely be a "hugely improved deal for the player, who is set to become the new face of English football." Alli would become adidas' "most high-profile English player and perhaps its biggest name" in the EPL alongside Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil. Alli's new deal "could be close" to the $1.42M earned annually by ManU forward Wayne Rooney with his Nike pact. Alli recently "signed a lucrative contract" to be a new face of Beats by Dre and "is understood to be in the running to be the cover star for the next edition" of EA Sports' "FIFA" video game franchise. Alli has also "embraced social media and uses the platform regularly." He has "115,000 more followers" on Instagram than he does on Twitter, which is "seen as another attraction to sponsors" (LONDON TIMES, 4/1).
