Everton legend Neville Southall believes the sale of £50 million-rated Ross Barkley, possibly to Manchester City, could end up benefiting the club.
To sell or not to sell, that is the question.
Everton are understandably reluctant to part with Ross Barkley, but the figures being discussed could see them relax that stance.
Would they turn down £50 million for the England international if reported interest from Premier League champions Manchester City resulted in a formal approach?
Goodison Park legend Neville Southall believes they would be foolish to snub such a bid were one to be tabled.
The Toffees stalwart, who spent 17 years with the club in his playing days, feels Roberto Martinez could invest those funds elsewhere and end up making his squad stronger.
He wrote in his Paddy Power blog: “I won’t win many friends for saying this – but Everton may have to consider selling Ross Barkley.
“It all comes down to money. Is the club really going to improve that much if we sell Seamus Coleman or Leighton Baines and get £20 million max? I don’t think so. The only real game-changer we have is Ross Barkley.
“But that doesn’t mean we just sell off the crown jewels and bring in stop-gap players that work in the short term. For the type of money we should demand for one of the brightest English talents in the game – we should get two or three quality players who join Everton for the long haul.
“Don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to see any of our quality players leaving the club. But sometimes you have to lose one to get three in so that the club continues to progress.
“But I wouldn’t be letting Barkley go for anything less than £45-£50m and only then if we’ve identified another top-class midfielder, centre-half and possibly goalkeeper to replace him.”
| Goals | Total Scoring Att | Goal Assist | Total Att Assist | Total Pass | Accurate Pass | Total Contest | Appearances | Mins Played | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ross Barkley | 1 | 25 | 1 | 16 | 607 | 535 | 75 | 13 | 966 |
It is difficult to argue with Southall’s logic.
If Everton could sell Barkley – a player who operates in an area where they are already well-stocked – and add greater depth to their ranks, that would appear to be a wise decision.
No-one will want to see another home-grown talent leave the blue half of Merseyside, but sometimes difficult calls have to be made for the benefit of the greater good.
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