Few figures are more divisive among Everton fans than 28-year-old midfielder Ross Barkley. The Chelsea man began his career with the Toffee’s and was a fan favourite, hailing from Merseyside, but his exit from the club in 2018 left the supporters furious.
Barkley left Everton in January 2018 after pulling out of a deal the previous deadline day, refusing to sign a new contract, then sitting out for the first half of the season with an injury, depleting his value and costing the club in the region of £20million in fees alone. Evertonians felt betrayed and his sly remarks upon his departure made the situation all the more bitter.
There have been rumblings of a potential return to Goodison Park for Barkley, as 90min reported that the two clubs are in ‘advanced talks’ surrounding the former England international. Barkley threw fuel on the fire as he unarchived his old Everton posts on Instagram on July 27th, hinting at a return to his boyhood club, whom he spent 13 years with.
Everton manager Frank Lampard had the opportunity to coach Barkley during his time with Chelsea and is now looking to bring him home to the City of Liverpool and to the club where he spent most of his career.
These revelations have received mixed reviews from Everton fans, especially considering the last time majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri brought such a polarising figure to the club, he almost tore it to the ground, and the team and the community is still trying to recover. Of course, in reference to former manager Rafa Benitez, who brought a historic club to its knees and caused unparalleled conflict between the fans and the board. The Spaniard’s stint was brief, and his appointment was in poor taste, and against the wishes of the fans.
It may appear that lightning has struck the same place twice, and that Moshiri hasn’t learned his lesson however, with the threat of relegation looming yet again, it may be that the People’s Club has their hopes resting on Barkley’s shoulders once again. Once upon a time, Barkley was a diamond in the midfield for the Toffee’s and a player like that could be exactly what Everton need right now.
In the 2015/16 season, Barkley racked up 16 goal contributions in the Premier League, keeping the club afloat as Roberto Martinez’s progress with the team became derailed, leading to his swift departure. The following season he helped Everton secure Europa League qualification with another solid campaign under Ronald Koeman. During most of his time at Everton, Barkley was simply fantastic. He was able to create goals and score goals and was the centrepiece of the Everton team for multiple years.
Following the departures of Gylfi Sigurðsson, James Rodriguez and beloved forward Richarlison, who recently joined Tottenham Hotspur, Everton’s team has been devoid of creativity – a spark Barkley provided all those years ago. Former Spurs man Dele Alli was hoped to fill this void, but has so far been somewhat underwhelming. While the Merseyside outfit have managed the signing of 22-year-old midfielder Dwight McNeil, it is hard to imagine that this will be enough to get Everton’s attack going, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin falling out of form since the departure of Carlo Ancelotti.
It could be this sort of desperation, and the clubs lack of financial flexibility that is leading them to Barkley, rather than the talent he may or may not still have to offer however. Barkley has scored just 5 goals in the last 3 Premier League seasons, making 53 appearances. The Chelsea man has shown flashes of ability but has largely failed to impress since his move to Stamford Bridge.
If the Barkley deal goes ahead and he fails to return to his former glory, and the Toffee’s find themselves in a similar predicament to last season, it will only create more anger in the community and do further damage to a near-irreparable relationship between the club and its fans.
With the season edging ever-closer, Lampard is going to have to make a decision, one that could make or break his spell at Everton Football Club.
