Two Replacements For Ross Barkley If He Leaves In The Summer
Ross Barkley has been heralded has the best player to have come through the Everton academy ever since Wayne Rooney. The Englishman has been one of the most promising players in the Premier League in recent years but could be on the way out of Goodison Park in the summer.
Barkley will enter the last year of his contract at the end of this season and despite the club having tabled a new contract offer, the 23-year old has refused to ink the new deal. This hasn’t pleased manager Ronald Koeman who has taken the media to issue his stance on the situation and has told the player in no uncertain terms that he either sign the deal or be sold in the summer.
Amidst all this, Premier League contenders Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with a move for Barkley in the upcoming transfer window and it looks increasingly likely that the England international could be on the way out of Everton with Tottenham the most likely destination. If it so happens that Barkley leaves Everton, here are two options that the Merseysiders can look to bring in as a replacement.
Gylfi Sigurdsson
One of the best, yet the most underrated attacking midfielders in the Premier League. It would not be wrong to say that Gylfi Sigurdsson has been single-handedly keeping Swansea City afloat in the English top division.
The Icelandic international has been instrumental in helping the Swans keep their Premier League status over the past two years and has been their star performer this season, in what has been a season full of doom and gloom for Swansea. The 27-year old has scored 9 goals and has set up a further 11 strikes this season from 34 appearances across all competitions.
With Swans fighting to avoid relegation, it wouldn’t be hard to convince the player to move to a side that could potentially be involved in European football. And someone who can play anywhere in attack, either centrally or on the flanks, Sigurdsson fits the bill for Everton as well. He should be their primary target if Barkley decides to leave.
Yacine Brahimi
The Porto attacker was the subject of a bid from Everton in the last summer but the move did not materialise due to a lack of European football. However, it is expected that the Toffees will go back for him in the upcoming window as well.
Brahimi, 27, is a versatile attacker who can play on the flanks or as an attacking midfielder and has been in decent form for the Portuguese outfit. The Algerian has scored 6 goals and assisted 4 this season from 27 appearances across all competitions. The numbers aren’t as prolific as they were in the previous seasons, but the quality is undoubted.
Brahimi has two years left on his contract and will cost a big chunk of money for Everton, but with him, they will get a guarantee of goals from the wide areas or from a No. 10 role. He will undoubtedly be a quality addition for Everton to consider.
