Why Ross Barkley Is Not The Man Who Tottenham Need To Take The Next Step
Ross Barkley finds himself in a sticky situation at Everton. The 23-year old Englishman refused a lucrative new contract offer from the club earlier this year and with less than 12 months left on his current deal, it is clear that he will be leaving the club in the summer.
However, things do look a bit bleak in terms of potential suitors for the England international as it seems like there are not many takers for Barkley, apart from one certain Tottenham Hotspur.
The North Londoners seem intent on signing the Everton man in the summer, but according to several reports, are being patient in order to bring down his price in the market. The Toffees had reportedly set an asking price of £50million on the midfielder, but Spurs are not willing to meet that valuation.
However, should Tottenham be chasing Barkley in the first place? The answer would be NO.
Barkley finished last season with 6 goals and 9 assists from 39 games in all competitions, helping Everton finish 7th in the Premier League. It is understandable as to why the Lilywhites are interested in him. He is young, has shown great potential, fits the profile of players Mauricio Pochettino likes and his contract is running down.
However, Tottenham should also consider the fact that he has been in Premier League football since he was 17 and close to six years later, he has still not been able to kick on and fulfil the early promise that he showed.
For someone possessing such immense talent, Barkley can be extremely frustrating for a fan, to watch him in action. There are glimpses of brilliance every now and then, but they come few and far in between. And between that, you see a player who is highly inconsistent and lacklustre. For every chance he creates in the attacking third, Everton fans would agree that he will have spurned three more chances. His decision-making in the final third is a major letdown on regular occasions.
There’s also the question of where he will fit in at Tottenham. The attacking midfield slots are firmly taken up by Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen, and there is no way that Barkley is going to displace the two pillars of Tottenham’s attack. There might be a case made for him to play in a deeper role, but it is hard to fathom in what way he will be contributing better to Tottenham’s cause than Victor Wanyama and Mousa Dembele.
The lack of depth in quality behind the playing XI at Tottenham was something that was spoken about a lot, last season. Yet, it is unlikely that Barkley will be able to make a significant impact on the squad. There are many who keep saying that Barkley is still a “young player” and needs time to develop. But it should be noted that the 23-year old has already made 150 Premier League appearances and has been playing in the English top flight for six seasons now.
For a club with such lofty ambitions as Tottenham, they will need players who will be able to match that level of desire and ambition too. And judging by how Barkley’s career has gone till now, one does tend to think that maybe he lacks that drive and determination to kick on and prove himself. By bringing in the England international, Spurs could end up going through another “Moussa Sissoko” episode all over again and it is something that is best avoided.