da fezbet： Aston Villa could make a move for former loan star Ross Barkley this summer and a worrying claim has emerged…
What’s the word?
da betcris： The Midlands outfit have been linked with a move for the Chelsea outcast in recent weeks, having joined the club on loan during the 2020/21 campaign, and according to journalist Pete O’Rourke, manager Steven Gerrard will be well aware of the Englishman’s availability.
He told Football FanCast:
“He’s obviously seemingly out of the picture at Chelsea, I’m sure Chelsea would be open to letting him leave as well.
“I’m sure Steven Gerrard will be well aware of Ross Barkley from his time at Liverpool and aware of just how good of a player he was at Everton as well.”
Supporters will be fuming
This claim isn’t likely to go down well with the Villa Park faithful as Barkley endured a nightmare stint at the club.
It started off pretty well as the 28-year-old bagged in his opening two games but things quickly turned sour. In his subsequent 22 appearances on loan, Barkley failed to deliver more than one goal and one assist before losing his place in the starting lineup under Dean Smith.
His form saw The Athletic’s Gregg Evans relay some doubts over the attacking midfielder as he criticised him on a podcast appearance that campaign.
“He doesn’t do enough for me now. I’ve seen enough of Ross Barkley now to realise that he’s becoming a bit of a liability for Villa. He’s not helping out enough as he should, really,” he said.
Given he is earning wages of around £100k-per-week at Stamford Bridge, it may not be a risk worth taking for Villa, seeing as he has already struggled to make an impact in the Midlands before.
A similar salary would see him rank as Villa’s second-highest earner, and it’s not as if Gerrard needs another playmaker as he has secured Philippe Coutinho on a permanent deal from FC Barcelona.
Since that stint, Barkley’s career has stalled even more – for instance, last season he managed only six Premier League appearances, totalling 175 minutes of action.
That is not what you want to see from a potential incoming signing, so supporters will be hugely concerned, if not fuming, by this latest development.
AND in other news, Villa facing “huge blow” this summer…