Football expert claims £146m Barcelona playmaker thinking about shock move to Tottenham

Tottenham Hotspur may be in the window for a new playmaker this summer, if Christian Eriksen is to leave White Hart Lane (Sky Sports).

Eriksen has just one year left on his contract, and if Tottenham cannot agree an extension or a new deal with him, then they will have a choice to make. Sell him now for a profit, or risk losing him on a free next summer?

If Spurs are to sell up, they will have some huge shoes to fill, and will likely need to spend big to fill them.

However, South American football expert, Tim Vickery, now claims that Barcelona playmaker Philippe Coutinho is thinking about a shock move to Tottenham.

The Brazilian midfielder was in the Premier League not long ago, before transferring from Liverpool to Barca for a whopping £146m last summer (Sky Sports).

Unfortunately for him, the move has not quite worked out the way he had hoped, and he has hardly set La Liga alight in his first season.

Vickery said (Sky Sports): “He did very well at Liverpool, but also remember that relationship with Mauricio Pochettino at Espanyol?

“Is there a little light flashing there?

“It hasn’t worked, I’m not sure how it can work, but how could he say no to Barcelona?

“When Barca come knocking you’re putting yourself in the same line as Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Romario, Ronaldinho and Neymar. As a Brazilian he couldn’t say no to that.

“There are two problems there, one is they signed him as an Andres Iniesta replacement, and he’s not. He’s not a genuine midfielder, he does his best work in the final 30 metres of the field.

“He was signed for a role he’s not fit for. Also, with Suarez losing some pace, that front three… that’s why Ousamne Dembele is ahead [of Coutinho] in the pecking order.

“Suarez gave them the option of playing behind the line but he’s lost some pace so they’ve needed Dembele.

“If you can’t see him fitting into the midfield three or the front three and his relationship with the supporters has broken down [it’s finished].

“But how much of a loss are Barcelona willing to take to offload him. The most logical place for him to come would be the Premier League.”

Spurs Web Opinion:

The only way I could ever see this happening is if Tottenham gave Barcelona first dibs on Christian Eriksen. Whether or not Barca would be desperate enough to take a straight swap for Coutinho, I do not know, but I doubt it. Spurs would probably have to offer Eriksen plus money, and that isn’t something I can see Poch and Levy spending money on.

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