Will Tottenham repeat Everton’s big-money mistake with Ben Mee in demand?

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Michael Keane has flopped badly at Everton but that has not stopped Premier League rivals Spurs from being linked with Burnley defender Ben Mee.

Ben Mee has been one of the most criminally underrated defenders in the Premier League over the last two years, but it seems the Burnley stalwart is finally getting the attention his performances have deserved.

As reported by the Sun (25 March, page 63), Tottenham Hotspur have been tipped to make a move for the former Manchester City centre-back, who has started 28 games for a Clarets side with the fourth best defensive record in the Premier League.

Mee, who is entering the final year of his contract at Turf Moor, would cost £20 million for a Spurs side on the lookout for defensive additions amid doubts about Toby Alderweireld’s future.

But Mauricio Pochettino would not have to look far to be handed a warning about paying a big fee for Mee. After all, the last Burnley defender who got a big-money move to a Premier League giant has not lived up to his price-tag in the slightest.

Michael Keane cost Everton £30 million last summer but he has gone from an England international to one of the top flight’s most expensive flops.

Keane looks a shadow of the player who shone under Sean Dyche amid bigger expectations and a more open style of play at Goodison Park. The Mirror even claimed that the Toffees could be willing to cash in as soon as next summer.

Tottenham, then, should be wary about signing Keane’s former centre-half partner. Like Keane, Mee would be under big pressure to adapt from his traditional defensive duties at Burnley and play a far more expansive game in North London.