The Everton midfielder is a reported transfer target for Tottenham Hotspur.
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino
Spurs enjoyed a relatively successful 2016/17 Premier League campaign, and despite their ultimate failure to catch Chelsea in the title race, their fans have good reason to feel confident heading into next season.
Mauricio Pochettino must supplement his already strong squad of players during the off-season with some world-class players, however, if he is to guide them to a sustained challenge for major honours on all fronts next term.
The Argentine will already have a list of potential targets drawn up, and one of the players thought to be on his radar is Toffees midfielder Ross Barkley, with the Evening Standard claiming that Tottenham are closely monitoring the £35 million man.
Everton’s Ross Barkley
One issue that must be addressed, however, is whether the 23-year-old England international is actually of the required standard to help elevate the Lilywhites to another level.
The north London outfit have previous in bringing in £30 million plus signings from lower levels clubs, most notably, the acquisition of Moussa Sissoko last summer, with the Frenchman turning out to be nothing other than a total flop.
And there is a genuine risk that signing Barkley could yield exactly the same result.
The Blues midfielder possesses unquestionable talent, but he is terribly inconsistent, and has the reputation of a player who goes missing in big games on occasion.
Everton’s Ross Barkley
There is also the argument that his playing style is too similar to that of Dele Alli, and he is quite clearly not on the same level of the 21-year-old…so what would be the actual point in bringing him to Spurs, if he is not an upgrade on what is already available to Pochettino?
Tottenham need a game-changer – someone who can dig them out of a hole when they are losing, or make the difference in a tight game they are drawing.
It must be said that whilst Barkley is clearly a highly-talented player, he is just not in the elite band of stars who Spurs should be targeting, if they truly want to go one step further next season.
There are other players out there who could be available this summer with far more to offer. James Rodriguez, Lucas Moura and Douglas Costa are all potential options.
What the Lilyhwites do this summer will be a great indication of their ambition for the future, and bringing Barkley to the club would send out entirely the wrong message to their fellow competitors.
Everton’s Ross Barkley
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