Tottenham ready to take advantage of Barcelona’s hesitation
Riqui Puig has a lot of fans at Barcelona, but Ernesto Valverde’s unwillingness to hand him a spot in the first team may gift him to Tottenham.
Everyone understands making the transition from La Masia to Barcelona’s first team is a major challenge. Riqui Puig understands it better than most. The 19-year-old starlet’s inability to carve out a place in his club’s first team may cause him to head to England in the near future.
Reports emanating from Spain claim that Puig is intrigued by the idea of moving to the Premier League. Everton would be pleased to take him on loan just as they have previously with Yerry Mina, Gerard Deulofeu and others. Tottenham are interested as well, but they don’t want to give Puig a place to improve before heading back to Barcelona. They want to make him a member of Mauricio Pochettino’s squad on a permanent basis.
As you’ll recall, Spurs were strongly linked with Puig during the summer. In the end, the talented attacking midfielder elected to stay at Barcelona for the time being. Presumably, he believed he was in line to make a successful transition to Valverde’s first team.
That hasn’t happened for the young Spaniard. He hasn’t made a single appearance for Barcelona’s first team on the young season. He’s still considered to be a member of the club’s B team by most higher-ups at Camp Nou. That doesn’t sit well with Puig or his supporters.
It’s still an open question as to whether or not Valverde will sanction a sale. He’s gone on record as a big fan of Puig’s game. It’s at least possible he’ll look to placate the youngster by giving him a few cameos with the first team in the near future.
On the other hand, Barcelona are not exactly bereft of attacking midfield talent. It’s quite possible Puig just isn’t ready to overcome the plethora of world-class stars at the La Liga club. If that’s the case, a move to Tottenham in January could be perfect for his career’s progression.
Skipp gives Tottenham something Winks does not. dark. Next
When you add it all up, it’s going to be tough for Tottenham to seal a deal for Puig. Valverde’s affection for the player is going to make a loan move the preferred option. It’s still a situation Spurs fans should monitor closely as January approaches.