Report states how Pochettino changed his mind about signing Ross Barkley; right decision?

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Tottenham Hotspur face former target Ross Barkley this weekend.

According to Football.London, Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino changed his mind about a January deal for Ross Barkley – even with Daniel Levy ready to pay £15million to land him.

Spurs were keen on Barkley in the summer of 2017 as he looked set to leave Everton, but the playmaker stayed at Goodison Park for the first half of last season before making a £15million move to Chelsea.

Tottenham face Barkley and his Chelsea side this weekend, and reports are now emerging that Spurs intended to go back in for Barkley in January, with chairman Daniel Levy ready to pay the £15million needed – a full £35million less than what Everton wanted just months earlier.

However, it’s stated that Pochettino changed his mind about a deal, feeling that there were other positions that needed strengthening, so Spurs backed out of the race and Barkley headed to west London instead of the north of the capital.

Pochettino will hope that his decision doesn’t come back to haunt him this weekend, but these new reports do bring up a talking point; did he make the right decision?

Barkley is undoubtedly talented, and has shown flashes of that this season, but they remain just flashes. The England ace simply hasn’t put together a real consistent run of top Premier League performances for Chelsea, and there is still so much unknown about Barkley even at the age of 24, almost 25.

Barkley may have been able to provide some thrust through midfield, but he isn’t the midfielder needed to replace Mousa Dembele, and signing Barkley may have prevented a playmaker like Erik Lamela really coming to the fore; ask Pochettino now whether he’d rather have Barkley or Lamela, and he’d probably pick the Argentinian.

At £15million, Barkley was at a good price in the current market, but Pochettino is right to think about other positions first, and after just a few strong performances, it’s hard to really feel that Pochettino made a major error in not signing Barkley for Spurs.