Noel Whelan has suggested that Everton could be a potential destination for Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Harry Winks. 

The lowdown

Football Insider reported last week that Winks is in talks with an unnamed Premier League club after new manager Nuno Espirito Santo approved his sale.

Winks was limited to just nine league starts for Spurs last season, making a further six substitute appearances.

He averaged 1.1 tackles, 45.4 passes and 1.7 accurate long balls per 90 minutes (via WhoScored).

The 25-year-old still has three years left on his deal in North London and is valued at £18million by Transfermarkt.

Everton may look to replace Andre Gomes if he leaves Goodison Park this summer. According to The Athletic, Rafael Benitez is considering whether the Portuguese will be part of his plans.

The latest

Whelan says Winks' attributes make him a valuable asset to any club, and thinks it's feasible that Everton are the mystery club in talks with the Englishman.

"I think everybody needs a player like that," the former Leeds United forward told Football Insider.

"You can look at Everton, they’ll have the money for a player like that, somebody with that sort of experience. I think most clubs will be fancying him."

The verdict

Winks would be a reasonable replacement were Gomes to leave, but it's hard to say with any confidence that he'd improve at Everton.

And if Rafael Benitez was to play a 4-2-3-1 formation, perhaps Allan and Abdoulaye Doucoure would be his preferred midfield options. Winks could simply be trading one squad role for another.

There are question marks, then, over whether this deal would truly be beneficial for either party.

In other news, fans fumed over this transfer update.