Ross Barkley could have been a Tottenham player, but Mauricio Pochettino decided against it.

A report in football.london has mentioned the reason why Barkley knew it was time for him to leave Everton.

And it is suggested that Spurs chairman Daniel Levy was prepared to match the offer Chelsea made for the player.

But his manager decided against it.

Pochettino did not feel Barkley could make an immediate impact on the team and instead targeted Lucas Moura, who eventually arrived from PSG.

It did take the Englishman some time to find his footing at Chelsea, but he has been impressive this season.