Muhamed Besic Is the 1 Everton Player Tottenham Would Love to Sign

A little more than a year ago, Everton were mounting a stunning charge towards the Champions League places. 

It was ultimately futile, but Roberto Martinez, in his first season in charge of the Toffees, won plenty of plaudits for producing such an exciting team. 

Many of the stars of that run remain at the club. 

Were Tottenham given their pick of Everton players, they would face a difficult decision. While they would happily take a great number of them, one stands out as the perfect fit.

Ross Barkley, who perhaps shone the brightest in that failed push, would find a place in virtually any team in Europe. Only the absolute elite could turn up their noses at the prodigious young midfielder. 

Certainly Spurs are not among them and would welcome him with open arms. 

However, given the presence of Christian Eriksen and Alex Pritchard, Tottenham are well enough stocked that, in our hypothetical scenario, they would look elsewhere. 

At either end of the pitch, Everton have some brilliant players. 

Romelu Lukaku and John Stones, one formerly of Chelsea and the other soon to join them, would both improve Tottenham significantly. 

However, with the apparently imminent arrival of Son Heung-min (via David Ornstein of BBC), as well as Harry Kane and Clinton Njie, Tottenham are again relatively replete with options there. 

Spurs even have enough central defenders to turn down Stones. Eric Dier, Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld and Kevin Wimmer should be sufficient for this campaign at least. 

It's in central midfield that Mauricio Pochettino's hungry gaze would be fixed. 

Tottenham are desperate for a well-rounded defensive midfielder who can play happily in a dual-pivot system, providing defensive cover for the back line as well as contributing to the attack. 

Jon Super/Associated Press

Toby Alderweireld's damning comparison of Southampton and Tottenham's ability to provide midfield cover for the back four (via Sam Long Evening Standard) underlined the desperate need for such a player at White Hart Lane.  

Everton have a player who meets that description, and Spurs do not. 

Muhamed Besic missed the opening three games of the Premier League season through injury but has been an otherwise rugged player in his first year in England. 

Besic is not particularly creative but he springs out effectively from the back and is comfortable taking the ball past defenders to set his side away on the break. 

His presence alongside any of Spurs' more creative options like Nabil Bentaleb or Ryan Mason would free them to make things happen further up the pitch.

When playing for Bosnia-Herzegovina, he plays the same role for star playmaker Miralem Pjanic. 

Both a bodyguard and a capable assistant, Besic is a brilliant example of the modern defensive midfielder. 

While primarily a defensive influence, he is bright on the ball and confident enough to play the difficult passes.

He can be reminiscent of Vlad Chiriches both at his best and worst when he tries to dribble out of dangerous situations, but he is not a magnet for calamity like the Romanian. 

Tottenham are desperately searching for a player to fill this role in the current transfer window. According to Sky Sports, they had hoped Southampton star Victor Wanyama would be that man. 

However, Kevin Palmer of ESPN reports that Saints will block Wanyama's exit and have offered him a new deal on improved terms. 

Given Tottenham's limitations in this position and the fact that Everton paid just £4 million for his services, this seems like a transaction that could jump right out of our hypothetical and into reality. 

Besic would immediately make Spurs' midfield more solid and more effective, bringing a skill set that none of their current squad possesses. 

While the Toffees would be loath to lose such a brilliant young player, they have usually been willing to sell for the right price, and Spurs are approaching desperation so close to the end of the summer window. 

With Spurs facing Everton this Saturday, Besic should have the opportunity to impress Pochettino and the fans at White Hart Lane.