Ross Barkley could be Tottenham-bound within days
By Gary Pearson
Behind-the-scenes developments are taking place with Tottenham and Everton regarding Toffees’ outcast Ross Barkley, who could be donning a Spurs shirt within days.
Ronald Koeman has made it abundantly clear that Barkley is not in the his current – or future – plans on Merseyside. The 23-year-old Englishman didn’t travel with the team for Everton’s pre-season tour, the club citing Barkley’s lack of fitness as the sole reason he was left at home.
But we all know better.
Spurs are keen on signing Barkley, and have been for months now. However, the main bone of contention is Everton’s astronomically high asking price. The Toffees requested a £50 million transfer fee for Barkley, whose contract ends at this time next year.
Daniel Levy and company won’t bite, and have no intentions of immersing themselves in a bidding war. They have their valuation of Everton’s out-of-favour midfielder at £30 million, and likely won’t pay a pound more.
It seems Everton are finally coming around to the idea of a £30 million transfer fee, as reported by the Independent earlier. Scared silly at the prospect of losing the highly touted midfielder when his contract ends for what amounts to zilch in comparison, Everton are finally succumbing to Tottenham’s ruthless – yet fair – negotiation, or lack their of, tactics.
Tottenham want the deal done before their pre-season US tour, which commences on July 22 with a match versus PSG.
(Sorry about the cheesy music used for Barkley’s highlight reel!)
This is, no matter how you slice it, great news for Tottenham.
Mauricio Pochettino, understandably, feels no pressure to sign players in a hurry and won’t compromise the chemistry of the team to make a rush deal. However, with rumours ramping up regarding Eric Dier’s potential Manchester United departure (though I don’t think he’s going anywhere) and ever increasing time constraints, Pochettino will want any new players to have enough time to adapt to their new surroundings while ensuring roster stability.
Barkley, sometimes enigmatic and slightly temperamental, will relish the new lease on life at Tottenham if the deal comes to fruition. And he’s the type of player Pochettino will be able to influence, mold and extract the best from.
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He’ll add a different dynamic to Spurs’ attacking midfield, while providing much needed depth in a season that will hopefully see Tottenham play upward of 60 matches. Barkley is also an Englishman, a mouthwatering proposition for all English supporters.
Barkley playing for Spurs is not only advantageous for the Lilywhites, but also for the Three Lions, the composition of which is already primarily made up of Tottenham’s first team.