Why Tottenham should beat Liverpool to the signing of Nicolo Barella
Tottenham Hotspur have shown a dip in their form over the last few weeks after making a strong start to their season. Spurs returned to winning ways against Cardiff City last weekend, but their growing injury list seems to have taken a toll on their performances.
To add to those problems, Mousa Dembele has been linked with an exit from the club. According to the Sun, Dembele is ready to run down his contract and leave the club for free in the summer.
The Belgian midfielder has been a key member of Mauricio Pochettino’s side over the last few years. Losing him will definitely be a huge blow but the Lilywhites can dive into the market and look for a replacement.
The Mirror has reported that Liverpool are the favourites to sign Italian midfielder Nicolo Barella. The young Cagliari star has been making a name for himself over the last year and has attracted interest from many other clubs. The Reds have to shell out a total of £44million to land his signature.
Given that Spurs are at the risk of losing Dembele, they should certainly swoop in and aim to make a move for Barella. Tottenham became the first club in the Premier League history to not make a summer signing, and they should make amends by signing players in January.
Barella would be an ideal replacement for Mousa Dembele. The 21-year-old is very talented and has shown great potential. Though he is not yet the polished and final product, he is definitely capable of thriving under Mauricio Pochettino.
The youngster is technically brilliant and is very composed in his displays. Barella has shown that he is not only capable of defending but also capable of offering a lot going forward too, something Mousa Dembele rarely added to his game.
Barella is very smart and aware in possession, rarely giving away the ball cheaply in the middle of the park. The midfielder is also very quick with his passing and will not slow down the attack as Dembele is so often criticised for. Barella has averaged a pass success rate of 80.6% in the Serie A this season, which is much better than that of the Belgian.
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Tottenham should definitely beat Liverpool to the signing of the Italian prodigy as they are in need of a new central midfielder at this point.