Reports that Spurs want to make Barkley their main summer target came right out the blue.
It’s not easy being England’s next midfield superstar. Hyped up to epic proportions, it takes both natural skill and rock solid mental fortitude to spend your formative years being relentlessly compared to Paul Gascoigne and Steven Gerrard and come through the other side a well-rounded footballer and human being.
And, for the first time in their still short careers, Dele Alli and Ross Barkley are not the media darlings. Instead, testing questions are being asked about their progress, pundits armchair or otherwise wondering why they haven’t yet scaled same heights that Wayne Rooney had done at their age.
Yet, while Alli’s post-Euros hangover is to be expected on the back of a superb yet exhausting breakthrough season, Barkley is at something of a crossroads. Three years after being heralded as potentially England’s greatest ever footballer by the ever-exaggerating Roberto Martinez, new Everton boss Ronald Koeman is yet to see the rewards of swapping the carrot for the stick.
The Dutchman wanted more effort, more consistency and so far Barkley has struggled to produce; 13 starts, two goals and two assists the stand-out statistics of his least productive campaign to date.
Therefore, it’s difficult to figure out whether reports linking him with Tottenham can be considered a surprise. On one hand, it looks increasingly like Barkley needs a fresh start. On the other, why would Spurs pay £35 million, per The Evening Standard, for one of England’s brightest talents when they have another one playing in the same position? One who is performing at a higher level, week in week out.
And, if the 23-year-old did take up the challenge, would he even get in Mauricio Pochettino’s starting XI?
After all, Barkley may complete more through balls and dribbles than Alli but if Koeman was willing to drop his most naturally gifted player due to a perceived lack of work rate, why would Pochettino, a man who demands hard work as a prerequisite, happily accept the same flaws?
The fact that Alli completes more than double Barkley’s tackles may be the most important statistic of all.
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