Ronald Koeman wants Everton to challenge the top clubs – just like Tottenham have.
Everton manager Ronald Koeman (L) and Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino
Everton manager Ronald Koeman has told The Mirror that he wants Everton to close the gap to England’s biggest clubs – just as Tottenham have under Mauricio Pochettino.
The Toffees have shown great ambition since Farhad Moshiri’s investment in the club, with the appointment of Koeman from Southampton one of their biggest moves.
Money has been spent in the transfer market on the likes of Morgan Schneiderlin, Yannick Bolasie and Idrissa Gueye, whilst Everton have also invested in young English players in Ademola Lookman and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
With a focus on other young players such as Mason Holgate and Tom Davies, the future looks bright for Everton – and their trajectory doesn’t look too dissimilar to that of Tottenham when Mauricio Pochettino arrived as manager in 2014.
Having raided Southampton for their manager, Spurs set about building the club with some sensible purchases, talented youngsters from the Football League and academy products.
Everton have generally been signing more proven players than Spurs did, but much of their approach feels similar to how Spurs have operated under Pochettino, leading Koeman to admit that he wants to copy their recent success.
Tottenham have gone from top four also-rans to Premier League title contenders under Pochettino, and Koeman – whilst discussing the future of Ross Barkley – admitted that he wants to do what Spurs have done in recent years.
Midfielder Barkley is out of contract in just over a year, but Koeman told The Mirror that he wants to keep the 23-year-old at Goodison Park, and has had no indication from Barkley or his representatives that a summer exit is wanted.
“I don’t have any comments from his side that he likes to move or that will not sign a new contract, he hasn’t mentioned that to me,” said Koeman. “What we can do is to show the best for him as a platform to grow and to improve as a player and the final decision is always by the player. He knows I want to bring him on — we show that every day.”
“Everyone can see the team is improving and we are in a good way to be a strong side and that we can close the gap more now between the big clubs, like Tottenham did. That is exactly like what we like to do,” he added.
Everton’s Ross Barkley celebrates scoring
Koeman’s comments will be music to the ears of Everton fans, but they also show just how important it is that the club not only keep hold of Barkley, but also keep him out of the clutches of the team they want to emulate.
The Telegraph recently reported that Pochettino is interested in a summer deal for Barkley as he looks to improve his options at White Hart Lane, but Everton must not sanction such a move.
Tottenham have worked wonders when it comes to keeping their talent at the club. Star players Hugo Lloris, Kyle Walker, Jan Vertonghen, Danny Rose, Eric Dier, Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli and Harry Kane have all recently signed new contracts to stay at White Hart Lane, allowing Spurs to build around them.
It’s now time for Everton to follow suit if they have legitimate aspirations of copying Tottenham’s recent success, firstly with striker Romelu Lukaku and then playmaker Barkley.
Once upon a time, Spurs were losing the likes of Michael Carrick and Dimitar Berbatov, but are now keeping their key players in North London. Keeping hold of Barkley rather than selling to a direct rival would be a clear sign that Everton really are ready to challenge, and they should be using Barkley against Spurs rather than entertaining the idea of letting him join Pochettino’s men.
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