Everton midfielder Ross Barkley is on Tottenham Hotspur’s radar, but is he the kind of player Mauricio Pochettino needs?
Tottenham Hotspur are at the front of the queue to sign Ross Barkley from Everton this summer, according to a report in the Daily Mail. The Toffees’ attacking midfielder, who has recently joined up with the England squad, has been in fine form for Ronald Koeman’s side this season, and the Blues are now facing a tough task to keep hold of him.
Although Everton will be keen to keep hold of the midfielder in the summer, the pull of potential Champions League football and a chance to develop under Mauricio Pochettino may be just too much to ignore. But is he the type of player that Spurs need?
As a number 10, Ross Barkley does his best work behind the striker, a role that is currently occupied by Dele Alli. Although Barkley is, without a doubt, an outstanding young player, Alli is arguably better still and Barkley would likely not be keen on playing second-fiddle to anyone.
The position is also already hotly contested at Spurs. Danish international Christian Eriksen also does his finest work in the number 10 role, and Pochettino has had to work hard to balance the two players in the team, without causing the two to get in each other’s way.
What Tottenham should be looking for is another wide player. Someone who can play as part of a 4-2-3-1, but stretch the wide areas to give the team more width going forward. Currently, these are the roles of Hueng-Min Son and new signing Moussa Sissoko, with the former doing a very good job of this.
However, since Aaron Lennon’s departure, the club have lacked that pace and width on the right-hand side, and could look to bring in someone with lightning pace and attacking threat for this area, rather than adding yet another number 10 to the side.
With players such as Monaco’s Kylian Mbappe grabbing the headlines; might a move for a player of this ilk be more sensible? No matter how good young Barkley is?
Ross Barkley – Everton
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