Everton playmaker Ross Barkley is “expected” to join Tottenham in the January transfer window, according to the Times.
The newspaper claim that Spurs are closing in on the signing of the England international.
The Times report in a column addressing the failings of recently-sacked manager Ronald Koeman that Barkley is set to return in December from the hamstring injury that has sidelined him for the entirety of the season.
It is said that he will not be at Everton for much longer and that it is likely he will quit Goodison Park to join Tottenham when the winter window opens.
Good move for Tottenham?
Yes. Mauricio Pochettino has the man-management skills to take Barkley’s game to a new level. The word is that the Spurs manager is keen to transform Barkley from an attacking player into a deep-lying playmaker who builds attacks rather than finishes them. If Barkley can be developed into an effective long-term replacement for Mousa Dembele, it would be money well spent for Spurs. The attacker can be converted into a dazzling midfield string-puller.
This Is Futbol rating: 8/10
Likely to happen?
It is highly probable, yes. Barkley is out of contract at Everton next summer and has made it clear he will not sign a new deal. The exit of Koeman, who criticised the player so often in public last season, is unlikely to have changed his desire for a new club and upwardly mobile Tottenham appear a good fit.
This Is Futbol rating: 7/10