Despite the 2016-17 Premier League season being far from over, the national press are already starting to speculate over which players Tottenham Hotspur will target in the summer.
The North London side look likely to play Champions League football again next term and Mauricio Pochettino will want to add players capable of improving the starting XI and making an impact on the continent.
Two of the names most-commonly linked with a move to Tottenham are existing Premier League stars Wilfried Zaha and Ross Barkley.
The Crystal Palace man is under the threat of possible relegation to the Championship, while the Everton star’s contract at Goodison Park is starting to run down.
It is reasonable to assume that the pulling power of Tottenham and playing in the Champions League could be enough to tempt one or both to White Hart Lane, but which is the better fit?
There is little doubting Barkley’s calibre and ability when the Everton man is fit and on form.
Technically excellent, the Liverpudlian’s sublime range of passing, strength in possession and ability to chip in goals from midfield would be an asset to the Spurs team.
However, given the presence of the likes of Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli in attacking midfield berths, bringing Barkley south may well be adding a player of a similar ilk to the ones already available to Pochettino.
Zaha on the other hand offers something a bit different – the Palace wideman is a wildcard possessing pace and trickery unlike another of Tottenham’s current stars.
The former Manchester United man has always been viewed as something of a raw talent, but this season the winger has added an end product to his game.
Pochettino was vocal in the summer over his desire to add pace and penetration to his options in the final third and duly splashed the cash on Moussa Sissoko and Kevin-Georges N’Koudou.
Neither have got anywhere near the expectations placed on them by the Tottenham manager or the fans and as such the Argentine coach may have the same request again at the end of the current campaign.
As such, despite Barkley’s class, Zaha seems like the better option for a Spurs squad that is looking to diversify its stellar array of attacking talents.