[ad_pod ]
According to Football London, Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino turned down the chance to sign Ross Barkley from Everton earlier this year.
What’s the story?
Barkley came through the youth system at Everton, and went on to make 179 appearances for the Toffees before leaving for Chelsea in January.
A hamstring injury meant that Barkley did not play for Everton in the first half of the 2017-18 campaign, but Chelsea signed him for £15m in early 2018.
According to Football London, Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy was willing to pay the money required to sign Barkley from Everton, but Pochettino rejected the chance to bring the 25-time England international to the club.
There was an element of a risk in the deal, but Barkley has impressed for Chelsea this season, and has indeed also worked his way back into the England set-up.
Did Pochettino make a mistake?
For £15m, the deal was a bit of a no-brainer. The fact that Barkley’s Everton contract was due to expire at the end of the season meant that the fee was never going to be huge.
Barkley has plenty of improving to do, but at 24, has time on his side as he looks to become the player that he promised to be when he first burst through.
This season, the midfielder has scored three times and registered four assists in 16 appearances for Chelsea in all competitions.
Check out Playmaker FC’s Joe Street’s unfiltered take on Wayne Rooney’s England legacy in the video below…
Meanwhile, Tottenham are currently having problems in the middle of the park, with Mousa Dembele and Victor Wanyama both struggling to stay fit.
It is difficult to make a case for Pochettino rejecting the deal for Barkley when considering the finances involved, and the Spurs head coach might regret the decision even more if the midfielder helps Chelsea beat his side in the Premier League this weekend.
