Former England international Frank Lampard urged Ross Barkley to quit Everton and join Tottenham or Chelsea, speaking exclusively to football.london. The Former Chelsea great believes that the 23-year-old will benefit from a change of club.
“While it does look like he’s going to leave now, he does need to go to a club where he can fulfill that talent,” the Chelsea legend said.
“It’s all there, but he probably just needs to get a bit more out of himself. He’s at a young age and it seems that he wants to move.
“If he comes to a team like Chelsea or Tottenham, the players around him will help him improve because he’ll see what it takes to go to the next level.”
Lampard spoke about his own example of when he left West Ham in 2001 after graduating from the academy to join the Blues and win a number of major honours.
See-saw Relationship
Koeman and Barkley had a frosty relationship, with the Dutch manager often expressing doubts over the midfielder’s ability to step up. His form under Koeman has tapered off – not entirely due to the declining relations – eventually resulting in him losing his place in the England national team.
Barkley refused to sign a new deal offered by the Toffees and with his contract set to expire in less than a year, it seems like his time at Everton has come to an end.
There has been a lot of interest in the player Tottenham did the running for most part of the year and interest from other clubs like Chelsea and Manchester United has also been fleeting.
Transfer Fees Is The Only Block
If not for the absurd valuations of Everton, Barkley would have been wearing the Tottenham jersey by now. They were demanding £50million for a player in his final year of the contract, being well aware that he could move for free next season.
Tottenham are yet to make any signing but Mauricio Pochettino is confident of sealing some important transfers before the window closes by this month end. Barkley would be on top of that list.
Although Koeman has indicated that Barkley may have a future at Everton, there are indications that they are finally ready to compromise on the price. Leaving the door open for Spurs to make the move.
Deal Imminent
There is a willingness on all sides to reach an agreement because the impasse isn’t helping anyone. Everton would like to cash in on Barkley rather than lose him for free next summer, while Spurs would like to kick-start their transfer signings. For the player, as Lampard pointed out, it is a great chance to get his career back on track.
‘Star’? Hardly. He *may* have potential. As an attacking midfielder I would expect him to produce goals and chances. He does not do much of either. It appears £35 million is the going rate for potential nowadays.