The British media The Times reported that Ali has been told that he is not in Cuomo's plan and is currently looking for a new club. Ali did not go with his teammates to Marbella, Spain to attend the preseason training camp. He has been training at the Como base, reportedly with other players who have been told that they are not in the team's plans in the future. Italian media reported that he is considering retirement, but it is understood that this statement is false, and Alibaba is eager to continue to rebuild its career in the new team.
Ali signed an 18-month contract with Cuomo after being terminated by Everton in January. He has been plagued by physical fitness issues, but after missing the official game for more than two years, he returned from the bench in a away game against Milan in March.
However, he was sent off for a foul on Chick just 10 minutes after his return. Alibaba was initially shown a yellow card, but after VAR review, it was upgraded to a red card.
When referee Matteo Marchetti finally showed Ali a red card, Milan player Kyle Walker, who worked with Ali, had begged the referee not to send him off. That game became Ali's only appearance in Cuomo.
Ali's last official appearance dates back to February 2023, when he represented Besiktas, but the loan was interrupted due to injuries. That summer, he lived in a rehabilitation center in the United States to overcome his sleeping pill addiction. In July 2023, in a candid interview with The Overlap, he bravely talked about how childhood trauma affected his later career and life. He revealed that he had suffered sexual abuse in his childhood and was involved in drug trafficking when he was eight years old. Alibaba expressed its ambition to return to the field and confirmed that it was receiving off-court support.
Ali spent six weeks in the United States before returning to Everton to continue recovering from his groin injury. His contract expired in July 2024, although he has since been training with the team and has worked hard to return to full health.
Ali started his career at Milton Keynes, and then spent seven years at Tottenham, playing 269 times and scoring 67 goals. He has played for England 37 times and scored 3 goals.