Everton's Romelu Lukaku Is Not the Man to Take Tottenham Forward Next Season

Tottenham Hotspur's campaign is far from over, but there can be little doubt that the club is already preparing for the second year of Mauricio Pochettino's reign. 

Regardless of the outcome of this season, the time has come for the club to re-enter the transfer market and upgrade their options in attack. 

The remarkable performances of Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen have disguised a weakness that could have undermined the gradual evolution of the team under Pochettino. 

Without their goals, a brief spell of pressure in autumn could have grown into something more malignant.

Nacer Chadli, Erik Lamela and even Andros Townsend have shown they can also contribute, but Emmanuel Adebayor and Roberto Soldado are surely coming to the end of their time with Tottenham. 

With this in mind, and the fact that Kane and Eriksen will inevitably hit a dry spell or suffer an injury, Tottenham must take the opportunity to invest in their attack this summer. 

Spurs are often linked with flavour-of-the-month players, and Romelu Lukaku, having voiced his willingness to consider an exit from Everton (h/t Metro), fits this description.

It is highly unlikely the Goodison Park outift would be willing to sell a player for whom they shattered their club transfer record less than 12 months ago.

However, if Lukaku were to force his way out of the club, it is conceivable that Tottenham would be interested. Unsurprisingly, British newspapers have concluded that Lukaku is now Spurs' priority in the coming transfer window. 

Lukaku is, at times, an excellent striker.

At his best, he bounces off defenders and seems to score goals through determination alone. His best form is often fleeting, though, and he rarely seems to score against top-quality defenders and goalkeepers.

Given that he is in his third season as a regular starter in the Premier League, it is easy to forget just how young he is. Little more than two months older than Tottenham idol Harry Kane, Lukaku is often unfairly expected to perform at the top level.

His roughly £40 million worth of career moves and 39 goals in 89 Premier League appearances fuel those expectations, but those fees were paid for his undoubted potential rather than to meet immediate expectations.

Lukaku was a wunderkind of the social media age. His name was known well before most football fans had actually seen him play. Devotees of the FIFA and Football Manager series proselytized the brilliant young Belgian. 

When Chelsea made their move in 2011, they were applauded for their foresight in signing one of Europe's most hyped young players. Lukaku never scored a goal for Chelsea, but he did enjoy two successful loan spells away from the club. 

In his seasons on loan at West Bromwich Albion and Everton, Lukaku seemed to be remarkably fortunate. Rebounds fell his way, deflections took friendly bounces and goalkeepers seemed routinely below their best. 

This season, that luck appears to have dried up somewhat. A campaign of difficulty could prove to be the making of Lukaku. 

Whether Lukaku is simply suffering from being part of an underperforming team, or his lack of form is dragging Everton down, this has been the worst season in his young career. 

Even so, he has collected 12 goals in 38 appearances for club and country. Compared to Soldado (four in 29) or Adebayor (two in 15), Lukaku has been prolific.

Lukaku's athleticism and endeavour are what distinguish him as a footballer. He is not overly skillful, at best he fits the "good feet for a big man" cliche. Nor is he an especially deadly goalscorer. He is virtually entirely lacking in creativity, often runs with his head down and relies on his physical attributes to beat defenders in one-on-one situations.

When a team plays to Lukaku's strengths, he can be a devastating player. However, Spurs are entirely unsuited to his skill set. 

While both Roberto Martinez's Everton and Pochettino's Spurs like to get the ball forward quickly, they do it in different ways. 

Pochettino's bellowed instructions against Liverpool, "no long balls, keep it down," went viral after that match. The incident indicates a key facet of his philosophy, one that hurts Lukaku's chances of joining Spurs. 

Lukaku benefits from Everton's willingness to play the ball forward quickly and in the air. His physical superiority against individual defenders makes this a sensible strategy. 

Spurs' more considered build-up play would prevent Lukaku being able to exploit that advantage. 

Many of Kane's goals come from him taking the ball past defenders and firing a precise shot beyond the goalkeeper—something that Lukaku is hardly adept at.

More than his goals, Kane also contributes to the build-up. He happily drifts into wide areas to take possession and promote the ball. Lukaku looks lost in such areas, while even Adebayor and Soldado have shown some competence in this role. 

This flexibility also allows players like Chadli and Lamela to get into scoring positions while Lukaku's preference for the penalty box would be detrimental to their progress. 

If Everton do choose to sell Lukaku, Martinez would join Jose Mourinho and Roberto Di Matteo as a manager who has passed on him. Martinez and Mourinho are diametrically opposed, so if neither believes Lukaku is worth the trouble, that could indicate something is wrong. 

Ultimately, Lukaku's hot-and-cold form, his prohibitive price tag and the fact that he has shown little development in three Premier League seasons are reason enough for Spurs to steer well clear. 

There is every chance that, at Everton or elsewhere, Lukaku will grow into the player many have predicted he could be. His physical tools, best exemplified by his hustling, bustling goal against Sunderland while playing for West Brom, prove that the building blocks of a great player are there.

Unfortunately, his obvious limitations mean that it will not be at Tottenham where he takes that great leap forward.