Everton and Spurs would be nuts to pursue 22-year-old

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The reported Tottenham Hotspur and Everton target is seemingly on the move.

The Manchester Evening News reported that Everton were close to agreeing a deal for Manchester United’s Memphis Depay, who has also been linked to Tottenham Hotspur, according to The Sun.

If true, Everton should pull the plug and Tottenham should let another club make the mistake of signing the 22-year-old.

The Dutchman secured a £24 million switch to United by scoring 28 times in 40 games for PSV Eindhoven during the 2014-15 season, but fast forward 18 months since moving to English football and Depay has proven a very poor return for the money.

He has netted seven times and grabbed three assists in 50 competitive appearances (ESPN) for the Red Devils – and only two of those goals came against English sides, scoring against the likes of Club Brugge and Midtjyyland in Europe last season.

Nobody questions his potential but the P word is a big red flag when used in reference to a player who has had 18 months to get his bearings and still looks a level below what is needed in English football.

Talent, as a standalone quality, will only get you so far in any occupation and it shouldn’t be enough to get him to White Hart Lane or Goodison Park.

If United were willing to sell him for peanuts then Everton, Tottenham and plenty of others would and should line up, because there’s little to lose but lots to potentially gain, but he won’t be cheap and neither would his salary demands. It would be another big gamble by two clubs who spent big money in the summer and the jury is still very much out on them.

Spurs spent close to £50 million on signing Moussa Sissoko and Vincent Janssen. Despite an improvement in recent weeks, Sissoko has two assists, one red card – probably should be two – and no goals in 14 games. Considering all three of Janssen’s goals came from the penalty spot, the Dutch striker is making Roberto Soldado look like Harry Kane at the minute.

Yannick Bolasie – ruled out for the season after suffering a knee injury – had one goal and four assists in 16 matches following his £28 million move from Crystal Palace in the summer. Even before the injury, that was nowhere near enough for what he cost Everton.

Tottenham are 10 points behind Premier League leaders Chelsea and Everton are 11 behind in the race for a top-four finish. Both sides have probably underachieved so far this season, but bringing in Depay is hardly going to change that.

This is a player with very poor individual statistics. This is a player who was hauled off at half time by Louis van Gaal last season for a lack of work ethic which would render him useless to a manager like Mauricio Pochettino. This is a player who jetted off to Rotterdam for a party just hours after an embarrassing defeat by Sunderland last season.

Talented, of course, but he is so rough around the edges and Pochettino nor Ronald Koeman have the time or luxury of polishing a gem which may not even shine as bright as the football world believed prior to joining United.