Tottenham transfer shock: Poch wants to sign 23-year-old attacker as Dembele replacement – Times
By Harry Sykes
Tottenham want to sign Ross Barkley and transform him into a central midfielder, according to a report.
The Times claim that Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino has a new role in mind for attack-minded Barkley as he aims to win the race to prise him from Everton this summer.
It is said that Pochettino has identified the England international, 23, as a shock long-term replacement for midfield kingpin Moussa Dembele.
The Argentine manager does not believe the 30-year-old will be able to play at the highest level beyond his early 30s due to the amount of football he has played in the most demanding area of the pitch since establishing himself as a first-team regular aged 19.
Pochettino therefore wants to convert Barkley into a deeper lying midfielder able to control the game from the centre of the pitch.
The Goodison Park academy product has spent almost his entire career to date in an attacking midfield role in which he has been responsible for creating the play.
Everton manager Ronald Koeman signalled the end of Barkley’s career at the club on Wednesday when he revealed the player has told him he wants to quit during the current window even though he is contracted until next summer.
Football Insider verdict:
Pochettino is renowned for his coaching work on the training ground and ability to coax the maximum from young and developing players. Like a peak Arsene Wenger, he makes stars rather than buys them. His vision for Barkley could just be a masterstroke. The 23-year-old has been fitful in a No10 role and certainly would not be able to edge out Dele Alli from that position. But he has the technical and physical skills to thrive in a deeper role and could make the same adjustment that Dembele himself did in his mid-20s.
In other Tottenham transfer news, Spurs are firmly in the driving seat to sign a creative spark for a bargain price and Pochettino wants the deal done.
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