Everton’s decision not to deal with Tottenham cost Chelsea
Most football pundits have been convinced for weeks that Ross Barkley’s time at Everton was going to end this summer. Unfortunately for the player and several Premier League clubs, Everton’s curious choices have prevented Barkley from securing his exit from Goodison Park.
Reports from England claim that Everton and Chelsea agreed on a £35 transfer fee only to see their deal scuppered by Barkley’s refusal to move to Stamford Bridge. The player’s desire to move to Tottenham and work under Mauricio Pochettino was a big factor in Barkley’s choice to snub the Blues.
Reportedly, Ronald Koeman’s club flatly refused to negotiate with Tottenham about Barkley this summer. It’s unclear why the Toffees elected to take that stance. Perhaps there are ill feelings at Everton regarding the Moussa Sissoko transfer last summer. The Frenchman had a medical scheduled at Goodison Park before literally turning his car around to sign with Spurs.
Officials at Everton could also believe that Tottenham have unfairly turned Barkley’s head. The club have gone to great lengths to keep their boyhood star, but he’s made no secret of his desire to play for Pochettino at Spurs. Some higher-ups at the club may think Tottenham have played too big a role in unsettling Barkley.
No matter what, the strange decision led to a very weird Deadline Day. To put it bluntly, Chelsea are not a club that are accustomed to being snubbed. The idea that Barkley began his medical at Stamford Bridge before changing his mind about a move is rather shocking. You can be sure the choice infuriated Antonio Conte and a host of higher-ups at Chelsea.
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While most people associated with the Blues will blame Barkley for the mess, Everton deserve some blame too. They should have known Barkley’s desires well enough to understand just how much his heart was set on a move to North London. Some intelligence regarding their own player’s wishes could have saved Chelsea a lot of embarrassment.
This fiasco may have cost Chelsea more than reputation. Their decision to chase Barkley likely tied up a great deal of the club’s resources for a large part of the day. It’s not inconceivable that Chelsea could have secured another attacking midfielder in Barkley’s place if they would have been free to pursue one. Instead, the Blues saw the window slam shut without adding an attacking midfielder on Deadline Day.
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Ultimately, the Barkley saga will go down as one of the strangest transfer stories in recent memory. It will only serve to strain relations between Everton, Chelsea and Tottenham. It will be interesting to see how all of this changes Barkley’s upcoming recruitment in January.