In a recent report, The Telegraph mentioned that Everton are weighing up a loan move for Chelsea midfielder Ross Barkley. It has been claimed that the Toffees are eager to bring their former star back to Goodison Park with the Blues open to letting the English midfield ace leave on a short-term deal this January.
Barkley’s Sporadic Role At Stamford Bridge This Season
Barkley has been a useful squad player for Thomas Tuchel’s side during this campaign but has struggled to be productive in the final third. The England international has participated in 11 matches for the West London outfit but is yet to open his goal-scoring account for this season.
The Liverpool-born sensation has seen most of his playing opportunities come off the bench. Still, Barkley deserves credit for averaging 1.2 shots, 1.4 key passes and 1.2 dribbles per 90 minutes in Premier League football. He has even been accurate when distributing the ball from midfield after completing 84.6% of his attempted passes in the top tier of English football (stats via whoscored).
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What Will Barkley Bring To Everton?
On his day, Barkley can be a decent playmaker in the opposition half as he has got the vision to set up some clear-cut chances for his teammates. He can strike the ball purely and with power which makes him a threat from long range. Barkley can even deliver some quality crosses from indirect set-pieces.
The 33-time England international can complete some energetic dribbles with the ball from midfield. However, he needs to be a bit more decisive in the attacking end of the field if he wants to re-establish as one of the best midfielders in English football.
At the moment, Everton can definitely use someone of Barkley’s skillset so that they can ensure a top-half finish in the Premier League table this season. The Chelsea outcast could bring some creativity and goals to Goodison Park if Rafael Benitez is willing to play him often in the second half of this campaign. With all things considered, the Toffees would be wise to engineer a loan move to acquire the services of Barkley until the end of this season as a potential loan deal would be a low-risk, high-reward option for them this winter.
