Tottenham’s five most important summer transfer targets revealed

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettinoduring UEFA Europa League - Round of 32match between Tottenham Hotspur and KAA Gent at Wembley stadium 23 Feb 2017 (Photo by Kieran Galvin/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettinoduring UEFA Europa League - Round of 32match between Tottenham Hotspur and KAA Gent at Wembley stadium 23 Feb 2017 (Photo by Kieran Galvin/NurPhoto via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 6
Next
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 04: Ross Barkley of Everton celebrates scoring his side’s sixth goal during the Premier League match between Everton and AFC Bournemouth at Goodison Park on February 4, 2017 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Chris Brunskill Ltd/Getty Images)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 04: Ross Barkley of Everton celebrates scoring his side’s sixth goal during the Premier League match between Everton and AFC Bournemouth at Goodison Park on February 4, 2017 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Chris Brunskill Ltd/Getty Images) /

2. Ross Barkley

Similar to the situation with Zaha, many Tottenham fans aren’t all that excited about the prospect of adding Ross Barkley to the squad. Again, I can’t understand why fans wouldn’t be excited about adding a proven Premier League commodity.

Barkley may not be Ronald Koeman’s cup of tea, but he’d be a solid fit under Pochettino. He could play anywhere along Tottenham’s attacking midfield trio and would provide real competition for Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli.

My only concern with Barkley is whether or not he has the work rate to thrive under Pochettino. Fortunately, I think I’ve seen enough of his defensive work under Koeman to trust him on that end of the pitch. At the very least, he has the athleticism and physicality to put in a solid shift defensively.

In fairness, I think that Everton are going to do everything they can to re-sign Barkley to a new contract this summer. If he isn’t willing to commit his long-term future to the club they will have to move him. If that happens, look for Tottenham to be a serious contender for his services.