He’s impressed in his first Premier League campaign since 2021.
Ross-Barkley-Everton
Over the last couple of seasons, Everton have had to work on a strict budget given their FFP troubles in recent months, with most signings either on free transfers or low transfer fees.
The FFP issues have given boss Sean Dyche the opportunity to work closely with his squad, putting trust in some of the younger members of the Toffees’ first-team squad.
Players such as James Garner and Jarrad Branthwaite have been the main beneficiaries within the Everton squad this season, with the duo cementing their starting positions – making 26 and 24 appearances respectively.
jarrad-branthwaite-transfer-everton-james-garner-efl-cup-aston-villa
The club have had to sell some of their key assets in recent years to balance the books, with the likes of Richarlison and Anthony Gordon just two examples of players the club have had to sell to try and comply with the Premier League’s FFP rules.
Everton have also previously sold a young talent to another Premier League rival, with the club potentially regretting the deal with the player currently excelling in England’s top-flight.
Ross Barkley’s time at Everton in numbers
Ross Barkley came through the academy at Goodison Park, before making his first-team debut for the club back in 2011 – quickly impressing for the Toffees.
He made 34 appearances during his first full season in the Premier League, scoring six times at the age of just 19 – a staggering achievement for a player of such a tender age.
Ross Barkley: Premier League debut
Everton 0-1 QPR (August 2011)
GK – Tim Howard
RB – Phil Neville
CB – Phil Jagielka
CB – Sylvain Distin
LB – Leighton Baines
CM – Jonny Heitinga
CM – Leon Osman
CAM – Tim Cahill
RM – Jack Rodwell
LM – Ross Barkley
ST – Jermaine Beckford
Barkley consistently featured for the Toffees over the next couple of seasons, with the midfielder going on to make at least 29 appearances in each of the next three campaigns.
His good form at Goodison Park saw him feature for every single age group from U16s to U21s, before the midfielder made his England senior debut in August 2013 during the 4-0 win against Moldova.
Ross-Barkley-Everton
He rapidly became a regular within the England setup, with his form internationally and at club level catching the eye of some of Everton’s Premier League rivals.
Ross Barkley’s stats since leaving Everton
The midfielder secured a £15m move to Chelsea during the January transfer window in 2018 after being sold by Marco Silva, with Barkley signing a five-and-a-half-year deal at Stamford Bridge.
He enjoyed a good full first season in London, with the former Everton man making 48 appearances for the Blues during 2018/19. However, his first full season was the peak of his Chelsea career.
Danny-Drinkwater-Ross-Barkley-Chelsea
A combination of injury and other players’ form in midfield, Barkley found himself with limited game time making 31 appearances with most coming from the substitutes’ bench.
He subsequently found himself on loan at Aston Villa during the 2020/21 season, with the highlight of Barkley’s season coming in the 7-2 victory over Liverpool – with the former Evertonian on the scoresheet.
However, he couldn’t force himself back into the Chelsea first-team, eventually being released to join OGC Nice in Ligue 1. He signed a one-year deal in France, once again failing to find his feet before joining Luton Town last summer.
He’s been pivotal in Luton’s efforts to survive relegation from the Premier League this season, with his top-flight experience the key.
Ross-Barkley-Luton-Town
Barkley’s featured 21 times so far this campaign, with the midfielder “not far off player of the season” as stated by Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson and in with an outside chance of making Gareth Southgate’s squad for the Euros this summer. It’s funny how things can change in such a short period of time.
In 2024, we’re now seeing the quality Barkley first showed when he first broke onto the scene at Goodison.
