Former Gunner Adrian Clarke feels West Ham have made the right call opting out of any move for Joey Barton.
Former Arsenal player Adrian Clarke questioned West Ham’s apparent interest in midfielder Joey Barton when he spoke to talkSPORT.
Slaven Bilic has the chance to add some Premier League experience to his ranks, with Barton ticking a number of boxes in terms of what he can offer to the Hammers.
However, Clarke has questioned any move, suggesting that the Hammers have made the right move, after co-chairman David Gold confirmed the player wouldn’t be joining via his Twitter account.
“Is he really going to play? I’m not sure really – I just don’t think he’s going to play regularly,” he told talkSPORT.
A young and developing side
Barton may have been a useful player to have around for Bilic because of what he can offer to the younger players in the team in terms of his experience.
Someone like Reece Oxford could have benefited from Barton’s knowledge in terms of dealing with a number of high pressure situations, as he embarks on the start of his life as a Premier League midfielder.
Hopefully the issues Barton has had with his discipline in the past weren’t the main reason the Hammers went off a move and he can enjoy a positive final chunk of his career.
Bilic needs to judge the right blend of players to use in midfield, because he’ll likely rotate with the likes of Kevin Nolan and Mark Noble, with question marks hanging over all of them in terms of whether they can play two times per week throughout the season.
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