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.