Lampard: Barkley’s Everton departure can boost World Cup hopes

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Ross Barkley has joined Chelsea in a £15million deal from Everton.

Chelsea legend Frank Lampard has told Goal that he reckons Ross Barkley’s move to Stamford Bridge from Everton will boost the playmaker’s chances of achieving a place in Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad.

The 24-year-old moved to Stamford Bridge this month for a fee of £15million, as Everton became resigned to losing the 22-time England international with Tottenham Hotspur also interested.

Barkley’s long-term hamstring injury saw him fail to make an appearance in 2017-18, but he has now recovered and will be desperate for first-team football straight away at Chelsea to boost his chances of gaining a place on the plane to Russia.

Lampard believes Barkley’s move to west London can bring the best out of the former Leeds United loanee, and that can help him become a regular in Southgate’s squad ahead of the summer’s finals.

“I think it is a good signing – it is a no-brainer for Chelsea at £15m for a boy of his talent,” Lampard said. “He’s only 24 years old but now it is up to Ross to prove his talents. I think he will do that at Chelsea, so it is a good move.

“If he plays consistently then I think he’s a key England player in the making. He’s already an England player and he’s got that ability to create something out of nothing so let’s get him playing regularly to show what he can do for England.

Last season, Barkley was one of Everton’s most creative players, having a hand in 14 Premier League goals during his 36 top-flight appearances. Scoring five, he also created nine of Everton’s 62 strikes.

He will have a huge fight on his hands to earn a place in Antonio Conte’s starting line-up, with the likes of Willian, Cesc Fabregas, Eden Hazard and Pedro vying for a place in attacking midfield.

His hopes are not much better in the middle of the park, where Danny Drinkwater, N’Golo Kante and Tiemoue Bakayoko all reside, while Fabregas can drop in. Barkley has failed to play for England since May 2016 during a 2-1 win over Australia.