Can Ross Barkley Act As An Upgrade For Chelsea In January?
Everton midfielder Ross Barkley was set to join Chelsea over the summer but the move fell through in the eleventh hour. Although Barkley returned to Goodison Park, things have not been great for the player. He is yet to make an appearance this season after having picked up an injury. Also, a lot has changed at the club as well.
They were teetering on the brink of relegation danger under Ronald Koeman and a string of disappointing performances saw him get sacked from the club. David Unsworth was appointed as a temporary manager, who did get them out of immediate danger and now with Sam Allardyce at the helm of things, Everton do look stable.
However, after all this, it remains to be seen if Barkley can regain a spot for himself at the club. If Chelsea come knocking again in January, the player might be inclined to see through the transfer this time, which could possibly work out in favour of all parties involved.
The Toffees have been lacking power up front in the absence of Romelu Lukaku and their midfield situation seems sorted for the time being. Hence, if a sale for Barkley were to happen, Everton could use the funds to procure a striker to fill the void left behind by the towering Belgian.
As far as Chelsea are concerned, their over-dependence on N’golo Kante has cost them this season. Cesc Fabregas has been doing what he does best but a player with Barkley’s skills could massively boost the present scenario in the middle of the park for the Blues. Tiemoue Bakayoko has built quite a notorious reputation for himself whereas Danny Drinkwater is yet to make a strong impact. In such a situation, a player like Barkley could prove to be viable but can Antonio Conte expect him to return to full fitness by January?
After all, Barkley will take time to recover and it could take quite a long period for him to rediscover his power. It remains to be seen if the Blues are able to afford a risk like that. The midfielder will certainly not come cheap and keeping everything aside, the fact remains that Conte already has quite a number of midfielders at his disposal. There is hardly anything wrong with spending money to land a player who may or may not be surplus to requirement but when he is yet to return to full fitness from an injury, it does raise concerns.
Make no mistake – Barkley is a force to be reckoned with when he is at his best and Everton could gain a monetary cushion from the sale as well. If the player can return to fitness soon, Conte should most certainly make a move for him.
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