His contract is up in the Summer. Do you think we’ll take a punt? No transfer fee so we can pay the wages. Don’t forget the Rafa effect too....
I don't rate him that highly to be honest - he only seems to turn it on when he feels like it. But I think he'll be out of reach for little old us anyway.
Yes for me. We need a good attacking midfielder and he is good at attacking. I watched him against Carlisle United in the cup two seasons ago and he completely ran the game. Streets ahead of any player. I know it's against Carlisle but he still showed his class.
Can see him going somewhere like city so he can do a delph and spend the next 5 years on the bench but helping City hit their homegrown quota. If he'd have the balls to go somewhere like us he'd be ****ing fantastic.
Rated him very highly. He scored an absolute corker of a goal against us 2 seasons back or so. Not sure if he has progressed since then and may even have gone backwards. That said class is permanent and would be down to whether he has the drive and the ambition to improve and perform. Rafa would probably know with his contacts and if Rafa wants and he’s given the money then if he wants him and Barkley has the drive and ambition then I would take him.
He is expected to go to Tottenham. His only hope of making something of his career at the level that was expected a couple of years ago is to go to Tottenham (or somewhere like Dortmund but he wont have the balls to do that) and play under Pochetino. Sadly we are still at a level that the kind of player who would willingly chose us over a club like Tottenham is accepting less.
I do think it'd be a really good fit. I don't see any other team with top half aspirations being a better bet. But with a new manager, he might get centre stage again at the Toffees.
I'd like him of course but the reality is he'll end up bench warming at one of the top 8 or he'll finally fulfill his undoubted potential. Probably the former.
But does he have undoubted potential? He is 24 in a few weeks time and has had 1 or 2 good moments in the last 5 years. I would chance it more on Wheelchair than Barkley making it. He is at best a lower PL team player.
would we not have to cheque him over for any injuries he may be carrying they could put out a statement to see if any interest has accrued
Well overrated, all potential and not much to show for it so far - I can definitely see him turning into a Francis Jeffers/David Bentley type flop. No thanks.
tbf the David Bentley comparison is probably more insulting - Signing for Spurs when he was 24 as one of the best players in the country, the a couple of years later on loan to mickey mouse Russian clubs, before giving up the game in his 20s as a result of having some breakdown and deciding he didn't like the game anymore, last seen on Irish reality TV.