Once a Blue, always a Blue…
Ross Barkley has left Everton for Chelsea… and this time there’s been no change of heart halfway through his medical.
Chelsea have parted with £15m of Roman Abramovich’s hard-earned cash for the 24-year-old, who will wear the number 8 shirt at Stamford Bridge. He’s signed a five-and-a-half year deal with the Premier League champions.
Perhaps understandably, the move has left a sour taste in the mouths of many Evertonians. Barkley had been close to making a move to Chelsea on deadline day in September, only to pull the plug after the two clubs had agreed a £35m fee for the player. He later explained in a tweet that he wanted to concentrate on recuperating from a hamstring injury before making his final decision on a transfer.
I simply decided that due to my injury, it would be best to make a decision on my future and assess all my options in January when fully fit
— Ross Barkley (@RBarkley8) September 2, 2017
After allowing himself plenty of time to consider his future, he has now completed the move for a significantly smaller transfer fee than had originally been agreed. This – as many supporters have pointed out – after collecting his wages at Everton while the club’s medical staff helped his recovery.
With all this in mind, there weren’t too many Everton supporters wishing him well as news of his move was confirmed…
From an Evertonians perspective, it’s not nice to see ‘one of your own’ leave for basically nothing after turning down a huge contract to stay.
From Barkley’s side of things, he’ll be a lot richer, he will play with better players and have a greater chance of winning trophies.— Tony Scott (@Tony_Scott11) January 5, 2018
If Ross Barkley wants to move from Everton because he can't take criticism from supporters then football is the wrong career for him. Fans have backed him too since day one, which he seems to be forgetting.
— Watched Toffee (@WatchedToffee) January 4, 2018
Can't see how anyone who supports the club could go to them what Ross Barkley has done. Bearing in mind he's already a multi millionaire, there is just no excuse.🐀🐀🐀 @EvertonArentWe
— TL1878 (@TLowrey100) January 5, 2018
Ross Barkley is no big loss tbh, he’s such a clueless footballer. Constantly gives the ball away, holds on to the ball for too long, afraid to put a tackle in … proper fragile as well, falls to pieces anytime he’s criticised. Good luck to him but he’s shit.
— Sean Morrison (@sean_morrison19) January 4, 2018
https://twitter.com/davidvitty/status/949330561658769409
https://twitter.com/ConnorHow17/status/949312809199919110
