In a recent interview with Football FanCast, former Premier League full-back Michael Ball has backed Everton to bring Chelsea midfielder Ross Barkley back to Goodison Park this summer. Ball said,
“It was really disappointing that Ross left in the first place, and the manner he left, there’s probably still a bitter taste in a lot of fans’ mouths right now. But Ross is the type of player Everton have missed for two seasons.
“The midfielders Everton currently have are good technical players, they can pass the ball, but they’re very passive, no pace, no direction of going forward, and that’s Ross Barkley’s strength.
“He picks the ball up in dangerous areas and he likes to drive and take on his opposition and get into those number ten areas.”
Barkley’s Underwhelming Loan Spell At Villa Park This Season
Barkley is having a frustrating loan spell with Aston Villa this season despite making a positive start to life at Villa Park. The English playmaker has missed several key matches this season because of a hamstring injury. Still, he deserves some credit for scoring three goals and grabbing one assist in 27 matches for the West Midlands outfit this term across multiple competitions.
The 27-year-old has still managed to be a decent contributor in the opposition half as he is averaging 1.6 shots, 1.6 key passes and 1.2 dribbles per 90 minutes in the Premier League this season. Barkley has been careful when distributing possession from midfield after making 84.8% of his attempted passes in the top tier of English football (stats via whoscored).
Should The Toffees Get Barkley On Board This Summer?
Barkley is a moderately-paced midfielder who can complete some promising dribbles in the attacking end of the pitch. He is also proficient at generating a yard of space for himself to get a few shots in from long range. The English sensation can set up some clear-cut chances for his teammates in the final third. However, he has struggled to perform at a high level since returning from his hamstring injury and seems like a shadow of his former self these days.
Hence, Barkley can benefit from making a switch back to Goodison Park as the Villans have no good reason to sign him permanently from Chelsea this summer. An experienced manager like Carlo Ancelotti could get the best out of the 33-time England international in the coming seasons, so the Merseyside outfit should think about getting Barkley on board this summer.
On his day, the Liverpool-born talent can be a real game-changer and could excel playing under Ancelotti’s stewardship over the next few years. Plus, he knows the Toffees well from his previous spell at Merseyside and won’t take much time to settle into life at Everton if Ancelotti decides to give him a lifeline before the start of the new campaign.
