Agbonlahor Urges Leeds United To Seal A Move For This Chelsea Midfielder: Good Signing For Bielsa?

In a recent interview with Football Insider, former Aston Villa player Gabriel Agbonlahor has urged Leeds United to seal a ‘loan-to-buy’ move for Chelsea midfielder Ross Barkley. Agbonlahor said,

“Yes, I don’t see why not.

“He’s a good player, he showed at Aston Villa in the first half of last season how good he can be.

“I don’t see a problem with that. Maybe that’s what Leeds need to look at it, some loan deals.

“A loan-to-buy would be a great deal.”

Barkley’s Lack Of First Team Starts In English Football This Season

The England international has played a bit-part role for the Blues this season as he has struggled to earn regular playing time under the tutelage of Thomas Tuchel. Barkley has taken part in eight matches for Chelsea so far in this campaign but is yet to score a goal or pick up an assist across multiple competitions.

The 27-year-old has seen most of his playing opportunities come as a substitute. Hence, he deserves a pat on the back for averaging 1.5 shots, 1.5 key passes and 1.3 dribbles per 90 minutes in the Premier League this season. Barkley has also been an accurate distributor of the ball after completing 84.9% of his attempted passes in the English top tier (stats via whoscored).

Will Barkley Be A Good Signing For Leeds United Boss Marcelo Bielsa?

Barkley has got a good football IQ and possesses the ability to orchestrate some meaningful openings for his teammates up top. He can strike the ball with power and accuracy from long range. The 33-time England international can even make some driving runs with the ball towards the opponent’s penalty box.

At the moment, the lack of first-team starts will be quite frustrating for the player at Stamford Bridge, so Barkley could be tempted with an opportunity to join a historic club like Leeds United where he could become a fan favourite if he can find some consistency with his performances in the coming seasons. The English midfield ace could even strike up a dominant midfield partnership with Kalvin Phillips at Elland Road.

There is no doubt that Barkley will enhance the quality of Marcelo Bielsa‘s midfield department. All in all, the Chelsea outcast will be a good signing for the Whites to pull off in January or at the end of this campaign.