Nico Barella (Getty Images)
According to a report by The Sun, Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing Cagliari midfielder Nicolo Barella in the January window. The report further states that Mauricio Pochettino is readying a £35million bid to tempt the Serie A club into a sale.
Cagliari are willing to consider offers above £30million, meaning Tottenham’s offer would definitely attract their attention. And at 21, Barella certainly seems like an ideal replacement for Mousa Dembele, who recently sustained an injury during Tottenham’s match against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Now, for the longest time, Dembele has been in and out of injuries. As things stand, Spurs don’t have a strong midfield unit. Eric Dier has also been battling his injury woes while Victor Wanyama has just been underwhelming. Lately, Moussa Sissoko has put in some impressive displays but his inconsistency could bite Tottenham in the future.
They do have a strong performer in Harry Winks but the academy graduate is quite young to shoulder the brunt of the responsibility on a daily basis. And to further compound problems, Tottenham did not sign a single player in the summer.
As a result, their midfield does look depleted and signing a promising star like Barella would surely be a step in the right direction.
In the ongoing season, Pochettino has preferred playing a 4-2-3-1 formation which requires two defensive midfielders. As far as the attacking trio is concerned, Tottenham have no troubles since they have the likes of Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli. Of course, they could use some added depth in that department as well but for now, let’s focus on the defensive midfield.
Barella is essentially a box-to-box midfielder and is capable of playing any role in the middle of the park. Blessed with great vision, raw strength and a keen eye for a pass, he is adept at winning the ball back and scoring a goal or two.
In fact, he netted his first goal of the campaign in Cagliari’s 1-0 win over Atalanta in September. And in the ongoing term, the midfielder has made 13 appearances in all competitions for Rolando Maran’s side.
Since Pochettino took charge of Tottenham, it has been evident that he looks for versatility from his players. More often than not, he chops and changes his system and tactics depending on the opponents. Thus, Barella’s ability to play anywhere in the midfield would come in handy for the Argentine manager.
Once the January window commences, Tottenham should not think twice and make a move to sign this versatile youngster.
