Ross Barkley was once the hottest young attacking midfielder in the league, now Everton have publicly said he’s for sale but no club has bid. What happened?
As an 18-year-old in 2013, Ross Barkley fully broke into the Everton first team for a full season. He’d had some appearances in the two years prior, but in 2013-14 he’d be a regular in the team.
Barkley appeared in 34 matches for Everton that season. He dazzled his manager, teammates and the media. Tim Cahill called him the “most talented footballer” he’d ever worked with and Martin Keown said he’d become “one of the best players we’ve ever seen in this country.”
A case of “too much, too soon”?
After a few seasons with highs and lows, Barkley has been publicly spanked by manager Ronald Koeman this summer. Koeman said the player was for sale and would be leaving the club. Since, no bids have been received for the 23-year-old and Koeman admits, with a few weeks left in the transfer window, Barkley may stay after all.
If someone said even just last summer that Barkley was staying after being rumored to leave, it’d be met with sighs of relief. Now, it’s “meh, whatever.”
A few summers ago, Barkley would have been sold for somewhere in the region of £40-50 million. This was in a land before Paul Pogba was sold for £89.3 million and Neymar being moved for the price of a small island.
What happened?
More from Everton FC
- Everton’s vibrant attack have led them to a dream start
- Everton showing Barca and Madrid how to manage their former talent
- Everton: Where can Wilfried Zaha fit best with the Toffees?
- For Everton, inconsistency means a vibrant transfer window is necessary
- Everton: Why the Yerry Mina injury blow could prove to be huge
Over the last two seasons, Barkley has scored goals, created chances and proved durable. He’s appeared in at least 36 games both years, scoring at least five goals with at least eight assists. Those are quality numbers for a center attacking midfielder at his young age.
But he wanted a new contract, one apparently a bit too generous than Everton were willing to offer. Barkley didn’t respond well, so Koeman was ready to see him off.
If Everton back their way into holding onto him, he probably won’t play 36 games this season because of newfound depth in their squad to prepare for the Europa League again. Koeman already bought a replacement this summer in Davy Klaassen who is likely to be above Barkley in the pecking order.
Next: Everton close to signing Barkley replacement
But maybe this type of set back is what he needed. For a player who’s generally heard nothing but praise since his professional debut, maybe a reality check is what he needed. And maybe Everton will inadvertently have created a new desire for one of their most talented players.