There are some transfers that come to define a summer. Paul Pogba to Manchester United, for one, was a gossip column staple for months before it actually happened last year. There was Gareth Bale to Real Madrid back in 2013. This summer, the story of Tottenham Hotspur’s interest in Ross Barkley is turning into a defining saga.
Long considered the great hope of English football’s next generation, Everton have reportedly slapped a price tag of £50 million on the midfielder’s head. The Toffees have made a number of big signings of their own this summer and won’t want to dampen their progress by selling another of their key players following on from the exit of Romelu Lukaku.
Spurs, looking to build on their Premier League title challenge last season, are keen to add another dimension to their side, with Mauricio Pochettino prioritising the centre of midfield. Barkley, he has identified as the man to take his team to the next level. For all that the England international draws criticism and scrutiny from many quarters, the Argentine believes he is the man Spurs need this summer.
Over the weekend, however, reports surfaced that Spurs could, in fact, turn to Mateo Kovacic instead. The Croatian is apparently looking for a club where he would be guaranteed a starting place having spent two years as a peripheral figure at Real Madrid. If Kovacic is truly on the market and open to a move, he should be the one Pochettino targets, not Barkley.
While Kovacic has never been considered a first team regular during his time at Real Madrid, he has proved wrong those who claimed after his debut season in Spain that he didn’t warrant a place at a club of such size and stature. In fact, the Croatian has since become a favourite of Zinedine Zidane’s, playing his part as Real swept to a La Liga and Champions League double last season.
With Barkley, it’s difficult to envisage how he would fit into Pochettino’s lineup. It’s true that the Everton man can play as a deep-lying midfielder, but he is at his best when positioned on the edge of the opposition penalty area, in a more advanced role. There, however, he would tread on the toes of Dele Alli.
Kovacic, however, is more comfortable with playing as a centre circle operator. Sure, he is also adept at picking passes and creating opportunities in the final third, but is an all-rounder in the way Barkley isn’t. If Pochettino is intent on plugging some of the gaps in his squad in order to close the gap on Chelsea at the top of the Premier League table, someone like Kovacic must be a priority.
After all, this Spurs team isn’t in need of an overhaul. The spine of Pochettino’s side is well-established, and so they are simply in need of supplementation. There is no need to sign a £50 million attacking midfielder purely to provide competition to Alli, someone who is already excelling in his role at the club.
The club record signing of Barkley would be a throwback to last summer, when Spurs splurged £30 million on Moussa Sissoko late in the window. It was a rare transfer window blip from the North London club, seemingly panicked into making a signing for the sake of a signing, pressured by frenzied fans and media taken in by the mani that affects so many at this time of year.
Barkley would, similarly, be a signing for the sake of a signing. There is no place for him in Pochettino’s system, unless the Argentine sees him as a back-up option. At £50 million, he would be the most expensive back-up option in footballing history. Kovacic, however, would be a far shrewder addition.
