Why Ross Barkley Could Benefit From Staying Put At Everton Than Making A Move
Winter is coming but the future of Everton’s Ross Barkley seems far from settled. The 24-year-old Englishman is yet to recover from his injury and hasn’t featured for the Toffees so far this season. He has refused to stay at Everton beyond next summer rejecting a new contract deal. Barkley almost joined Chelsea over the summer but the move fell through at the last moment. Although the player cited his fitness as the reason for backing out, the midfielder seems to be little confused about his immediate future.
Once a highly-rated English youngster, Barkley still holds a long career ahead but he must decide his next move carefully to stay relevant to his club as well as the country. Barkley has three options to select from – staying at Everton has to be the safest and most secure option for him considering his current status. Also, he could join a side like West Ham since they have shown a serious interest in him lately.
The Hammers might be struggling at the lower end of the league tally, but the Englishman will be offered a bigger role there if he chooses a fresh start. Last but definitely not the least, Barkley could also consider moving to either Chelsea or Spurs if they choose to make a move for him in January.
That said, a move to West Ham United might allow him to flourish further under former gaffer David Moyes. He will have regular game time but it might put an end to his Three Lions career unless he produces something spectacular for the remainder of the campaign. He has already slipped down the pecking order for Gareth Southgate’s probable squad for next year’s World Cup and a move to a below-par side might further jeopardize his chances.
A move to either Chelsea or Spurs will definitely provide him greater opportunities to win silverware as well as seal regular European status but his game-time will be uncertain there as the big guns already have plenty of quality resources who are performing quite splendidly. All he needs is to play regularly at this age in order to make up for lost ground but joining the heavyweights is not going to work out for the attacking midfielder as of now.
Hence, continuing at Goodison seems to be the most sensible option for Ross Barkley despite him asking for an egress to former Toffees boss Ronald Koeman. Things, however, has changed at Everton who have scripted a massive upsurge under new boss Sam Allardyce.
Although the Merseyside Blues are not good enough to challenge for silverware, they are certainly a stable outfit compared to many and the player already holds a decent reputation for his current suitors. Barkley has appeared 179 times for the Toffees and netted 27 goals altogether for his boyhood club. He thus needs to reconsider his decision of leaving the Merseysiders and is likely to benefit if he stays put for the time being.