Despite having one of the complete squads in the Premier League, as reiterated by Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho last week, Mauricio Pochettino seems to be desperate to add more firepower to the team coming January.
Harry Kane has been solely carrying the burden of scoring goals for the team currently and Pochettino wants someone to ease the goal-scoring burden by adding personnel who can score goals from midfield. And as per reports, the latest player to have emerged as a possible candidate is Everton forward Ross Barkley.
Despite having the likes of Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli and Eric Lamela, who are potential players to play that role, Pochettino still looks unsatisfied.
Despite having a vibrant performance in Everton’s 2-1 win over Arsenal, Barkley has an uncertain future at the club. The 23-year-old runs out of contract next season and the Toffees currently have him on a wage of £65,000 a week.
Now, persuading Everton to sell one of their best players to a rival club is tremendously difficult in English Premier League. Although, Spurs are apparently willing to offer £35 million, the England midfielder is going to cost them much more than that.
A product of Everton’s youth system, he was one of the emerging young players last season and it will be very difficult for Everton to replace the attacking midfielder who is quite adept both on the wing as well as the number 10 role. Here are 3 alternatives Everton could consider if Barkley moves away from Merseyside.
Hakan Calhanoglu
The Turkish midfielder has attracted many suitors with his dazzling display in the midfield for Bayer Leverkusen. Although he fits in the central midfield role nicely, his close control of the ball and the ability to pick up forwards with inch-perfect passes makes him a perfect central attacking midfielder.
He is also deadly from direct free kicks and could put the ball at the back of the net from really tight angles. He has scored four goals, creating 19 chances and four assists this season.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
The Arsenal forward has shown some real quality this season. His potential was never a doubt but injuries have often shortened his Premier League campaigns so far. His experience in the league will also be an added advantage.
Chamberlain, like Barkley, relies much on aggression and speed and could really be an ideal replacement. He is also a great utility player as he has been seen playing as a winger, attacking midfielder, defensive midfielder and also a wing back for Arsenal.
He has 2 goals and 4 assists for Arsenal already from 8 appearances, out of which 6 were from the bench.
Dimitri Payet
It could be yet another big money move as West Ham United would never want to sell their best player to a competitor in the domestic league. However, Barkley’s price could well match the French midfielder’s label.
Payet has been outstanding in the last two seasons and definitely deserves a team doing better than West Ham United, who are struggling this season.
Payet has been seen sulking a bit on the pitch and could move out in January and Everton should really seize the moment. He is lethal from set pieces and also cuts in to often cause chaos in the opposition defence. He has 3 goals and 2 assists so far despite West Ham lacking any potent forward up front.
