Do Tottenham still need summer transfer target Ross Barkley?

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Tottenham Hotspur were heavily linked with Everton’s Ross Barkley during the summer.

One of the main sub-plots during the summer transfer window was what was going to happen with Everton midfielder Ross Barkley with the likes of Tottenham and Chelsea linked with a move for the 23-year-old.

The London Evening Standard reported at the end of the transfer window that Spurs were planning a fresh move for Barkley in the future having decided against meeting the Toffees’ £30 million asking price.

Barkley is out of contract at the end of the season, so Everton’s asking price may drop in January and he will, of course, be available for a fraction of their recent asking price next summer if he does not sign a new deal.

So do Tottenham actually still need to target the Englishman?

When Barkley is on form, he is undoubtedly a tremendous talent that could make a £30 million deal look like an absolute bargain – even when he has just one year left on his contract.

However, consistency appears to be the playmaker’s main problem, and that was surely the reason that Daniel Levy decided that it would not be a sound investment to sign him during the most recent window, especially as he is currently injured and the London Evening Standard reported back in September that he is set to be out for a number of months.

Mauricio Pochettino’s men do not appear to have suffered not having Barkley signed up by now, having scored 14 goals in their first seven Premier League games.

Having said that, while Tottenham will probably not regret not signing him in the summer, it would be no surprise if they reignited their interest in the future.

For a much smaller fee, either in January or in the summer, Barkley would be a fantastic signing and his inconsistency would be a lot easier to accept as his arrival will not break the bank by any means.

And if Pochettino can turn Barkley into a player who produces his best form as regularly as Harry Kane seems to, then landing him in the future may become one of the best bargains they have pulled off in recent times.