Rumours are swirling that Chelsea are about to come back in with a bid for Ross Barkley in January, but the Everton star must resist the temptation. Here’s why:
The Standard reports that Everton will make a fresh bid for Ross Barkley as their attempts to sign him on Deadline Day in the summer fell through at the last minute.
There have been conflicting reports about exactly why Barkley supposedly rejected a move to Chelsea in favour of remaining at Everton where he was clearly not wanted, but the fact is he did it once, and he should do it again.
Why?
Because whilst signing Ross Barkley makes a lot of sense for Chelsea as a club, it wouldn’t really service Barkley as an individual. Particularly an individual who still needs to grow into his enormous potential.
Chelsea don’t want Barkley to start, they want the Everton man to be meat in the squad. To come off the bench like Nathaniel Chalobah did last season, to play the cup games where Antonio Conte wants to rest Cesc Fabregas.
Look at Danny Drinkwater; he moved to Chelsea and has played 237 Premier League minutes so far this season. That’s shockingly low. But for a player like Drinkwater, who at 27 has already done the most incredible thing he’ll ever do when he helped Leicester win the Premier League, the chance for a massive payday and to be part of a squad that can compete for the title and Champions League regularly is obviously too good to refuse.
But Barkley is nowhere near that age nor that level of achievement. He needs regular minutes to find a level of consistency that will help him make good on the incredible potential he’s displayed since he burst through as a teenager.
There’s no doubt Barkley should leave Everton, he’s stagnated on Merseyside and needs a new challenge. But he should avoid Chelsea at all costs. Perhaps if Tottenham come back in for him, or maybe a move abroad could be just what he needs. Anything but Chelsea. He’d win more than if he moved elsewhere, sure, but at what cost?
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