Former Tottenham and Liverpool star Jamie Redknapp has claimed that Ross Barkley would be perfect for Tottenham and that Mauricio Pochettino would take him to the next level.

The Everton midfielder would be entering the final year of his contract at the start of next season and talks regarding an extension have not gone well. The England International is most likely to leave the club either this summer or the next one. If the Merseyside club are to cut down on their losses, then it would be wise for them to cash in on the talented 23-year old this summer.

Ross Barkley is a vital cog in the Everton set-up under Ronald Koeman and it would be a huge loss for the Merseysiders. However, Koeman is not the kind of manager who would bother too much if the player sets his heart on leaving the club and would plunge into the transfer market to replace him.

Koeman has recently given an ultimatum to Barkley – sign the contract or ship out. Talking about the situation the manager said;

“We offer Ross a new contract and then two possibilities.

“One he signs the contract, and if he doesn’t sign the contract then we need to sell the player – it’s simple. It’s not so difficult in my opinion.”

Now, renowned pundit Jamie Redknapp has said that the £35m rated midfielder can become someone like Paul Gascoigne. Barkley has scored 5 goals and 9 assists for Everton this season and has appeared 34 times for them, with a total of 2782 minutes on the pitch.

Jamie Redknapp wrote in his Daily Mail column: “There are not many players who divide opinion like Ross Barkley but I have always thought he is fantastic young talent. At times he makes the wrong decisions but he has so much natural ability. I am sure Ross knows where he will be next season but I would love Tottenham to sign him. Barkley has what it takes to be the next Gazza for Spurs — and Mauricio Pochettino can take him to the next level.”

Jamie seems to be making sense here as Barkley is undoubtedly a high-quality player. Yes, he might divide opinions but it could partly due to the fact that he hasn’t really played to the fullest of his potential. He has been deployed at various positions on the pitch. It is still not known as to what would be his ideal position on the field.

Our Verdict

This season, he has played 19 times as an attacking midfielder, 7 times on the right wing and 6 times as a box-to-box midfielder. This clearly indicates that there has been a lot of experimentation going on with the player.

Nevertheless, Tottenham would surely benefit from signing someone like Ross Barkley.

Do you think Barkley would be a hit under Mauricio Pochettino?