Tottenham want Barcelona starlet to replace Christian Eriksen
Christian Eriksen‘s career at Tottenham is coming to an end. It could be a bright, young Barcelona talent that replaces him at Spurs.
It’s very unlikely that Tottenham can afford to purchase an established star who can immediately replace Christian Eriksen. As such, it’s safe to expect Spurs to shop for younger players who have a chance to blossom into world-class stars.
Barcelona starlet Carlos Alena is just that sort of midfielder. According to Mundo Deportivo, the 21-year-old is quite unhappy with his lack of playing time under Ernesto Valverde. That has allowed Tottenham officials to speak to the player’s representatives about a potential January move to North London.
Spurs have expressed interest in Alena before, but it seems likely that there’s genuine momentum behind a potential move at the current point in time. The player clearly believed this was the season he would break out and earn a regular spot in Barcelona’s match day 18. That hasn’t happened to date. He’s only played a total of 46 minutes in La Liga play for Valverde this season.
At some point, Alena will have to realize that he may need to head elsewhere to further his career. Moving to Tottenham to take over Eriksen’s spot in the middle of the Spurs attack would be a great opportunity for him. He’s failed to break into Valverde’s starting XI, but that doesn’t mean he lacks talent. The opportunity to work for a manager willing to promote youth like Pochettino could be just what Alena needs to kick-start his career.
The real question here is whether or not Barcelona will agree to let one of their prized youngsters go. The club have a long habit of hording young talent even if they aren’t able to break into their senior squad. Tottenham won’t need to pay a massive fee to pry him away from Barcelona, but don’t be surprised if the La Liga leaders try to insert some sort of buyback clause into the deal. Daniel Levy and the higher-ups at Tottenham will balk at any such request.
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Even so, it’s easy to envision a scenario where Alena does make the move to the Premier League in January. He’s just the sort of young, talented, yet unproven player that Spurs like to purchase. If Pochettino really takes a shine to the Spanish youngers, he could become a part of the Argentine gaffer’s new project at Tottenham.