Tottenham should avoid purchasing Liverpool winger

Tottenham would do well to pass on signing Liverpool wide man Jordan Ibe

Tottenham have done a terrific job developing young English talent under manager Mauricio Pochettino, but they shouldn’t take on Liverpool starlet Jordan Ibe. Spurs can do better than the enigmatic Englishman in the transfer market this summer.

The Express is reporting that Tottenham, Arsenal, and others are weighing up bids for Ibe in the coming weeks. It’s thought that Liverpool have soured on his prospects due to his lack of consistent play this season under new manager Jurgen Klopp. I suspect the same frustrations would pop up for Ibe if he made a move to White Hart Lane.

For the record, I think Ibe has a chance to become a good Premier League footballer. I just don’t think that a club like Tottenham should be taking on a project like him given where Spurs are as a club. They are a club poised to make another run at the Premier League title next season. They must buy players who are capable of aiding them immediately in that quest.

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If Ibe were likely to be content on the bench for a couple of seasons I’d be all for Spurs bidding aggressively for him. Despite his inconsistency, it’s clear to see that there is some serious talent there. The simple truth is that he’s still too raw to be counted on in big Premier League matches at this stage in his career.

Given the playing time he’s already received at Liverpool, he’s not going to be content moving back into more of a reserve role. I can’t fault him for that thinking either. He has every right to seek out a transfer where he can receive regular first-team football. That can happen at a mid-table Premier League club. It won’t happen at a top-four club.

If Spurs are going to purchase more young talent this summer, which I fully expect them to do, it should fall into one of two categories. They should be either purchasing ready-made young stars (yes, those are quite expensive) or diamonds in the rough who will be content to sit on the bench if need be. Pochettino and company will be better served to purchase young English talent from the lower leagues than other Premier League clubs.

Those starlets will arrive at White Hart Lane hungrier, and more humble than players like Ibe. They can be molded under Pochettino and won’t be as likely to become discontent with their lack of playing time. That’s the right kind of young talent for Tottenham to purchase.

Liverpool winger Jordan Ibe may get a terrific move away from Anfield this summer where he’ll receive a boat load of Premier League starts. It just shouldn’t be a move to White Hart Lane if Spurs really want to push forward next year.