Dele Alli signs new and improved six-year contract with Tottenham Hotspur

Dele Alli has committed his future to Tottenham Hotspur by putting pen to paper on a new deal. The affable England midfielder, who featured for 90 minutes on Sunday (18 September) as Mauricio Pochettino's side recorded a deserved 1-0 win over struggling Sunderland, will remain at White Hart Lane until at least 2022 after agreeing terms on a lucrative six-year contract.

While no specific financial details of the agreement have been officially disclosed, the London Evening Standard claims that Alli has effectively doubled his money and will now earn in the region of £55,000 ($72,000) per week. This development is the latest positive in a remarkably swift rise to prominence for the 20-year-old, who became a pivotal figure for both club and country last term after finishing the previous campaign on loan with former employers MK Dons in the third tier of English football.

"I remember when I was young and I wasn't playing football and I was looking up to the footballers and looking on the websites and seeing what they were doing," 13-cap international Alli told Tottenham's official website after signing on the dotted line.

"I'm still the same kid as I always have been and nothing's changed for me off the pitch – I'm still the same person."

He further joked: "I don't feel young, I feel like I'm ready to retire! No, it's been good. I'm happy to be here and playing at Tottenham. Personally, I can't think of anywhere better you know with the fans and the manager they've got here and the young team. It's a great place to be."

Alli's consistency was one of the major highlights of Tottenham's ultimately fruitless title challenge in 2015-16. Although occasionally criticised for his hot-headed temperament, he scored a total of 10 goals in 46 appearances across all competitions and was rewarded for his performances in January with a new five-year deal that also saw him double his pay.

Alli has featured in all six matches for third-placed Spurs so far this season and opened his account with a typically composed finish during the 4-0 rout of Stoke City. He also made a significant impact off the bench for England during their first match under new manager Sam Allardyce – a last-gasp opening 2018 World Cup qualifying Group F victory over Slovakia in Trnava.

Alli is the sixth player to be handed a new contract by Tottenham in recent months, following in the footsteps of Kevin Wimmer, Harry Winks, Christian Eriksen, Tom Carroll and Eric Dier.