Everton’s Ross Barkley has been linked with Tottenham Hotspur in the summer transfer window.
Everton reportedly want as much as £50 million as transfer fee in order to part company with the England international attacking midfielder.
Spurs, though, it has been reported, hope that the Toffees drop their asking price and are also reluctant to meet the 23-year-old’s £100,000-a-week wage demands.
With Barkley having just one more year left at the Toffees and Everton manager Ronald Koeman himself admitting that the England international will leave in the summer transfer window (as reported by The Guardian), one can understand why Spurs would not be willing to cough up too much cash.
However, even if Tottenham have to pay £50m as transfer fee for Barkley and £100,000 per week as wage this summer, then in the long run it would be a smart business.
No, at this moment in time, the Englishman is not worth £50m and does not merit £100,000 per week as salary, but in the next two or so years he could.
Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino is a brilliant manager who knows how to develop players and make them better.
It was Pochettino who made Kyle Walker the player he is today, and Spurs got as much as £54 million for the England international right-back (as reported by The Daily Mail).
Harry Kane has developed into a top-class striker under Pochettino, while Dele Alli’s progress at Spurs has been mainly due to the Argentine boss.
Given Barkley’s quality and talent, there is every possibility that he could develop the same way.If the Everton star does not develop in the next two or so years, then Tottenham could sell him at a loss but still get decent money.
English players tend to cost more money, and given Barkley’s reputation and experience, he could well fetch £30m or so if he is a long-term contract at Spurs; after all, West Ham United have paid Stoke City £25 million for a 28-year-old Marko Arnautovic (as reported by The Mirror).
True, it would be a loss for Tottenham, but it would be worth taking a risk on Barkley, especially in the next year or two he would be an important squad player for the North London and would enhance their chances of winning the Premier League and being competitive in the Champions League.
Moreover, Barkley would have a point to make at Tottenham and would be determined to prove his detractors wrong by taking his game to the next level.
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