Barkley completes Chelsea switch

Friday, 5 January, 2018 330comments  |  Jump to most recent
£15m deal done
Chelsea have signed Ross Barkley from Everton in a deal reported to be £15m.

The Telegraph, Mail and Times reported yesterday that the reigning champions wanted to move quickly to secure Barkley after a proposed transfer fell through on transfer deadline day.

Barkley was set to join Chelsea in a £35m deal but changed his mind at the eleventh hour, electing instead to stay and recover from the hamstring injury that has sidelined him for the entire season so far.

His decision effectively ended up losing Everton £20m — Chelsea are said to be offering £15m to sign Barkley in the current window rather than risk losing out or a rival club in the summer when he would have been a free agent.

Barkley has been in London this week and underwent a medical, most likely at Chelsea's Chobham training facility, and signed a contract that completes his move away from his boyhood club.

Everton will reportedly receive additional payment from Chelsea should certain appearance-related clauses be triggered.

 

Reader Comments (330)

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Jack Convery
1 Posted 04/01/2018 at 20:39:46
Theres a feeling in my gut he will go to Anfield if Coutinho goes in January.
Brian Ronson
2 Posted 04/01/2018 at 20:57:07
Ross will only go where he wants to go.My money is on Tottenham and has been all along. We need this resolving quickly. Tottenham will try to drag it out until the summer. Though I am sad Ross doesn't want to stay I respect the fact it is his career and he's entitled to go where he likes. What would be totally out of order is if he hangs around for a free transfer and we get nothing. Given where we are £15 million is as good as we can hope for.
John G Davies
3 Posted 04/01/2018 at 21:00:20
Ross will do what is best for Ross.
Not what is best for Everton.
Alex Parr
4 Posted 04/01/2018 at 21:04:05
I must admit I had hoped he would sign on, however it is all the more galling that he has hung around, seemingly with no intention of signing a new contract, collecting his wages and letting EFC foot the medical bills and rehab etc. To then leave for a much lower price in January (or God forbid, free in the summer). IF it turns out to be the case, which appears likely, that he leaves, then any respect I had for him will be gone as he has undoubtedly cost the club a small fortune since summer in order to get his way.
Dermot Byrne
5 Posted 04/01/2018 at 21:15:45
With ya on that Alex but club have no choice
Gavin Johnson
6 Posted 04/01/2018 at 21:16:00
As john says. Ross will what's best for Ross, and not what's best for Everton, demonstrated if Barkley does go to Chelsea.

If that's the way it plays out it gripes me that we have had to pay his wages for 4 months and could lose up to £20m when he could have done his rehabilitation with Chelsea. It's a bit of a piss take, in fact.

Brian Williams
7 Posted 04/01/2018 at 21:24:39
Jack#1. Think thats a dodgy curry you must have had.
I don't understand the problem people have with Ross Barkley doing what's first and foremost best for Ross Barkley.
Any individual who didn't do what's first and foremost best for themselves would be a bit of an idiot.
The lads an employee, Everton his employer, he wants to change employer, we've all done it.

Paul Hewitt
8 Posted 04/01/2018 at 21:31:56
Ross should have been offered a new contract 2 years ago. Serves us right when we lose him for peanuts.
Jim Bennings
9 Posted 04/01/2018 at 21:32:08
Timed that nice Chelsea didn’t they?

Come in for him in August , find out he’s buggered for three months so have a quiet word with him and tell him to “snub “ moving for now and let Everton pay your wages until January plus getting fitter whilst having no intention of ever playing in an Everton shirt again !!!

Stan Schofield
10 Posted 04/01/2018 at 21:40:31
Gavin@6: It's not a piss take, it's simply an action consistent with his contract. It's business. In reality, Barkley going will make a big difference to Barkley (because he can now probably win things), but it won't make much difference to us. We're like a ship going round in circles, and players like Barkley will continue to leave in their prime unless the board start steering the ship in a direction towards visible progress (and ultimately trophies).
Sam Hoare
11 Posted 04/01/2018 at 21:48:40
I can understand him wanting to leave but screwing his boyhood club out of £20m seems like insult to injury!

A shame as I think we are missing him more this season than people realise. We have few if any players who can do what he is capable of.

Tony Abrahams
12 Posted 04/01/2018 at 21:55:40
I haven't got much time for Barkley. I think he's been set to go to Spurs on the cheap for a long time now. But, if it's true Schneiderlin is getting £120,000 per week, and the club don't value Ross this highly, then it won't have been hard for his agent to get down his ear and tell him "Everton are taking the piss if they can't give you the same!"
Will Mabon
13 Posted 04/01/2018 at 22:07:07
If it's as rumoured, Tony, then Sigurdsson does indeed earn more than Barkley. I wonder how many other clubs would be likely to pay him more than Barkley. I wonder how many neutral fans would consider Sigurdsson worth higher wages than Barkley. I wonder how many could say Sigurdsson as yet, has shown anything like we've seen from Barkley in the past.

One could imagine Barkley's possible mindset, and the thoughts of his management team. However crazy the money paid in football today, it must still carry weight as a measure of worth to a club, in the eyes of the players. Wild numbers but the principle is the same.

Jeff Armstrong
14 Posted 04/01/2018 at 22:16:29
I read today that Sandro is on £120,000 a week, FFS Sandro...there's no way he's going anywhere over the next few windows!

If that's the going rate and wage structure then Barkley would be right to expect £150,000.
Gavin Johnson
15 Posted 04/01/2018 at 22:28:13
Stan

I hear what you're saying and I agree with Tony too that if Schniederlin is on more money he'd understandably be miffed. But if he does eventually go to Chelsea, the question would be why didn't he go in the summer?!

Maybe Ross wanted to recover in the familiar surroundings of Finch Farm? Maybe he wanted to see what would happen with Koeman? Maybe he wanted to see if the contract offer would be improved? Who knows?! But with Koeman gone and the board surely offering a better deal, it does look like Barkley has just done exactly what he wanted to. Used the club for the last four months and it's cost Everton a lot of money.

Of course, I'm surmising on the basis the move to Chelsea is resurrected. If so, I think Ross does deserve stick. I hope he does go to Spurs and that's the reason he rejected the move in the summer.

Stan Schofield
16 Posted 04/01/2018 at 23:10:31
Gavin, even with Koeman gone, it's conceivable that Barkley could be dischuffed with the board, given that it was they who allowed Koeman to act as he did. As with the treatment of Niasse, the board could surely have led from the top and done something about it, namely ensuring that Koeman acted professionally at the time.

Many of us are not impressed with the overall stewardship of Everton by the board, as shown by numerous posts on this site. Perhaps Barkley has a similar view, Koeman's actions being merely an immediate problem that reflected a deeper problem at Everton.

Danny Halsall
17 Posted 04/01/2018 at 23:25:31
I can't believe how highly people on here rate Barkley, he had one good season under Martinez and for the rest of the time has been sensationally mediocre. He'd have made not one jot of difference to our team this season; he has no work ethic, no bottle and has terrible decision-making. People will no doubt quote some stat like he has created x amount of chances etc, but IMO he is a player we are better getting rid of.

As for his current situation, I still think he will end up at Tottenham. I think that is the move he has been angling for since day one. In the process, he has cost our club a small fortune in a transfer fee, hasn't contributed whatsoever, and has had all of his treatment and rehab paid for here. I wouldn't be surprised if he waits until the summer so that he can get himself a nice, juicy signing-on fee from whichever club he is going to warm the bench for. He is an absolute gobshite, good riddance.

Peter Warren
18 Posted 04/01/2018 at 23:40:01
Everton will be 7th, with or without Barkley, Lukaku and Stones. It makes no odds until we get a great manager or spend billions
John Daley
19 Posted 04/01/2018 at 23:44:14
Sam (@11),

He's not 'screwing' anybody out of anything really, is he? Certainly nothing that is 'theirs' by rights. He signed a four year contract and he will probably (in my opinion) see it out to the end. Therefore, his only obligation to Everton will have been met in full.

Why should he concern himself with whether the club can make a wedge off his wanting away? Loyalty? Some daft notion that a professional sportsman should selflessly put the needs of a team he chose to support before he started sprouting pubes ahead of his personal interest and ambition several years later?

Where was the 'loyalty' when his manager came out and said offering Barkley a new contract wasn't a priority, or when he said 'sign by some random date of my choosing or we will simply sell you', or when he said he would be looking to bring in new players to play in his position whether he stayed or went (albeit forgetting to mention they probably wouldn't be fit to lace his fucking boots), or when the club tried to flog him to Chelsea while he was crocked?

The club will say it was simply business and they were acting in their best interests (although it was a bizarre, ham-fisted, way to go about it and predictably enough backfired). Well, it works both ways.

When Barkley signed his last contract, he was perfectly happy to state the reasoning behind doing so:

"This contract means everything for me. It is my dream to play for Everton. This is the club I love and I see it as home. We've got to push on now and one of the objectives is the Champions League.

The contract says that we are hoping to push on and win silverware. It shows the club is keeping its best players like it did last season when Leighton Baines, Seamus Coleman and a few others signed new deals. That brings stability and shows we want to push on together."

Compare that to the current situation:

The team has receded more rapidly than Klaassens hairline, rather than 'pushing on'.

There is no chance of competing for, never mind winning, trophies anytime soon.

The clubs best players have been sold yet again, rather than retained, after a big deal was made about those days being behind us.

The club's 'ambitions' have undergone a complete about face, from Champions League aspirations to simply clinging on to Premier League life.

Having seen how things have actually played out during his current contract, the 'football brain' many claim Ross lacks must be roaring, "Pass! Pass!! You were a naive fool falling for that shite last time round, Ross. Don't score an own goal by making the same mistake again. Now...err... run like fuck, lad".

Timothy Blanshard
20 Posted 04/01/2018 at 00:03:16
TalkSport are reporting he has gone to Chelsea for £15 million and he'll be their player before the weekend.
Colin Glassar
22 Posted 05/01/2018 at 00:25:11
Excellent post John D. Good luck Ross.
Jim Harrison
23 Posted 05/01/2018 at 00:43:04
Can’t wait for this to be resolved so we can move on from these “He’s great/he’s shit/he’s greedy/he deserves more” threads

What’s pretty plain is he wants to leave, for whatever reason. Perhaps he believes he is worth more money or that he is under appreciated. I think more to the point, he is in a position to get himself up the ladder to a better paid job with increased chance of winning stuff and playing in the champions league

Is he good enough to get in the first team of the clubs he is linked with? Who knows, but it would be a sorry indication of his mental state as a professional to not want to try. Staying at Everton would be an easy option

He will likely leave, and I don’t think anything short of bringing pep in as manager would convince him to stay. Home town club argument only goes so far, the chance to prove yourself at an elite level under a top coach has to be a great motivation for a young hungry player

Bob Parrington
24 Posted 05/01/2018 at 00:45:16
John D. & Colin G. the echo is loud and clear, I am sure from many Toffees fans!
James Flynn
25 Posted 05/01/2018 at 01:06:00
Ross saw a raw and poor defender, Stones, have TWO big offers to go from two different clubs. And left.

He saw Lukaku threaten to leave while Bobby was still managing. Bobby asked him for one more season, which he agreed to. Rinse.

Koeman comes in, asks again. Repeat. Last Summer, leaves.

What exactly is Ross supposed to think? Not so much Stones, who couldn't wait to leave and was awful with us.

But Lukaku's departure leaves Ross as our key guy. Which we all have seen and know; Ross is not THAT guy. Even a leg-less Rooney still takes on responsibility.

He'll get a thumping wage increase and play at a contending club that doesn't hang its hat on any one player. That's what Ross wants.

He'll be great one day, wandering around watching another. He'll be played and sat accordingly. And he'll be good with it.

That's Ross Barkley.

He goes; we keep moving.

Peter Lee
26 Posted 05/01/2018 at 02:47:58
Bye. My only regret is we aren't getting much for him. My surprise is that anyone wants him.
Steve Carse
27 Posted 05/01/2018 at 03:43:16
Yes Brian (7), many of us will in our careers have left their employer for better personal reward – I doubt though if many of us will have cost that employer £20m by doing so.
Jay Harris
28 Posted 05/01/2018 at 06:20:18
Bye Ross.

It was nice not knowing you.

As you slide down the banister of life remember Chelsea's bench as the splinter in your ass.

Kunal Desai
29 Posted 05/01/2018 at 06:47:24
He's moving to win things something he will never achieve in his playing career id he stayed at Everton.
Sam Hoare
30 Posted 05/01/2018 at 07:15:32
John D@19

“Loyalty? Some daft notion that a professional sportsman should selflessly put the needs of a team he chose to support before he started sprouting pubes ahead of his personal interest and ambition several years later?”

But I wasn’t suggesting that he stay. Only that he shouldn’t have pulled out of the move last Summer.

I can fully understand a player wanting a pay increase, better chance of trophies etc but the manner in which you leave can differ hugely. If he’d gone in the Summer for £35m then fair enough but I do feel his ‘indecision’ that has cost us £20m is him screwing us; which of course he is entitled to do but I find it disappointing from one who purports to truly love the club. It’s in no way surprising and I won’t lose any sleep about it, mainly I’m sad to lose a player I’ve always liked.

John G Davies
31 Posted 05/01/2018 at 07:40:16
John Daley,

Thats a fair post.
A midfielder currently performing way below what should be expected is on three times as much as Barkley.
Only to be expected he will not be happy with that situation.

Modern day football summed up.

Jamie Morgan
32 Posted 05/01/2018 at 07:56:38
We all know what’s gone on! Chelski bid £35mi to legally speak to Barkley.

Once there they say “Listen mate... you’re injured til January.. so let’s say you’re Undecided! Go back and let Poor Everton cover costs of rehabilitation and recovery! Then we’ll swoop in January for a paltry £15mil and give you a slice of the fee we’ve just saved/ screwed out of Everton!
Go forth and fuck yourself Ross. I hope you follow the path of Rodwell and bomb! Lukaku is being found out at Utd and I look forward to seeing the same with you!

Now Everton get a bit clever... Chelsea want it done quickly so get Batshuayi in as a part of a swap!

Colin Glassar
33 Posted 05/01/2018 at 08:16:01
Well that’s just it isn’t it Jamie? Everton are pathetic in the transfer market! We let contracts run down (Barkley), we let players walk for free (gosling), we keep shite players for years after they are of any use (AVDM, Heitinga, Hibbo etc...), we get bored negotiating and walk away etc... We are a joke in so many ways and the players can see this.
Henrik Lyngsie
34 Posted 05/01/2018 at 08:38:20
Barkley always reminds me about a young Michael Laudrup. Laudrup was such a huge talent as a teenager. It was back in the days where teams were built around one player. You had Maradona in Napoli and you had Platini in Juventus.
Laudrup was seen as the successor to Platini in Juve. But he never managed to take that step because he did not have the personality and the on the pitch leadership skills to have a top team build around him.
It was so frustrating to watch Laudrup in that period because you felt that he had such huge potential.
Instead he made a quiet move from Juve to Barca. At that time Italian football was the best and Juve a more attractive club than Barca.

But in Barca Laudrup got a manager that managed to get the best out of him. He was not the Maradona or the Platini of the team but become one extremely good player in an extremely good team. He was not their leader just often their best player as a left striker.

Barkley has got some extraordinary skills. Technique, shooting, dribbling, speed. 4 years ago you saw a player who just needed a little bit better decision making and may maybe the discipline required for an attacking midfielder. I hoped it would come with experience and he would become a top top player.
It never came and Barkley still plays like he is a teenager. It is hard to understand why several managers have not managed to coach him to making better decisions and become more tactical mature. But it is so frustrating to watch because you feel he could offer so much more.

So what happens next. Will he make it in Chelsea or Spurs. Personally I doubt it. He has got the technique etc but if his last 5 managers incl England could not teach him decision making and tactical maturity then I think he just has not got it in his DNA.

Or alternatively he finds a manager and a team who will do what Cruyffs Barca did to Laudrup. Somehow played to his strengths only.

With that logic it is difficult to see Barkley move to Chelsea. I don’t see Conte doing that and he is probably gone by the summer.

Money aside a move to spurs under Poch could make more sense. But somehow Barkley needs to improve his work rate dramatically to fit into that Spurs team.

He needs a fresh start. I don’t think Martinez overprotecting of Barkley did him any good in the long run. A fresh start might see him fulfill his potential. But in today’s football it could also mean very limited time on the pitch in those clubs.

Brian Williams
35 Posted 05/01/2018 at 08:52:45
Steve Carse#27. What John Daley said@19.

Should Lukaku have signed a new contract, the one that was 99.9% signed, in order to help the club financially?

Should Moyes have signed a new contract despite knowing quite well he was getting the UTD job so that the club would get compensation?

Would the club fail to cash in on a player who didn't particularly want to leave if they received an "offer they couldn't refuse"?

It's business, there's no loyalty involved here either way, clubs do what suits them and players do the same.

Everton accepted a bid for Barkley from Chelsea for £35m. Barkley may well have felt so called "disloyalty" from the club for not offering him the contract he believes he was worth. Why on earth then, if that was the case, would the lad sign purely to make as much money for the club as he could?

In those situations a player, every player, would look after their own interests and do what's right for them, for their future.

The days of "For any club I played for I'd have broken bones, but I'd have died for Everton" are long gone. That was a different era which some don't realize was a long long time ago.

The only people in football today who have, and show, loyalty are us supporters. If you understand and accept that, it makes all the shite that goes on less painful.

Tony Abrahams
36 Posted 05/01/2018 at 09:01:00
Good post Henrik, you make a lot of good points regarding Ross Barkley. I don't think anyone gets to the top without hardwork being one of their greatest assets, especially if you have already got talent, in this ever increasing game of speed.

It covers a multitude of bang average play , (watch our opponents tonight) and it also warms people towards you, because everyone loves a trier, and everyone hates playing against a player with talent, who never stops trying.

I won't wish Barkley well, but if he leaves Everton, and his football improves, I won't hold any grudges either. Haha as if that matters anyway!

John G Davies
37 Posted 05/01/2018 at 09:05:08
Gone 15 mil.
Brent Stephens
39 Posted 05/01/2018 at 09:15:58
John Daley #19 - couldn't agree more.
Keith Monaghan
40 Posted 05/01/2018 at 09:18:45
If we get £15M for Ross, that puts him on a par with Niasse, who RM signed for a similar amount.

Just about sums up what Ross is worth - we all know how good Niasse is! The sooner he's gone, the better.

Craig Walker
41 Posted 05/01/2018 at 09:22:47
So much for van Dyke pushing prices up. I'm not Barkley's biggest fan but to only get £15 million for him is outrageous. I never thought I'd say this but we are less well run with Moshiri in charge in a lot of respects. We seem to be spending big money on players who aren't good enough whilst letting our better players go for less than market value. Moyes, for his faults could make the odd shocking purchase and still get his money back or make a profit.
Tony Abrahams
42 Posted 05/01/2018 at 09:29:03
So you would sooner keep him for 5 months, and let him go for nothing Craig? I know which makes more sense to me, and I’m sure people behind the scenes at Liverpool, will be fuming right now, because Emre Chan has just signed a pre-contract for Juventus.
Colin Glassar
43 Posted 05/01/2018 at 09:31:07
So, if we add up the £15m for Barkley and £5m for Sandro we could have a chance of buying Nzonzi. The Everton Way.
Charlie Lloyd
44 Posted 05/01/2018 at 09:37:30
BBC sport website 7 mins ago Barkley to Chelsea for £15m by Phil McNulty.
Charlie Lloyd
45 Posted 05/01/2018 at 09:38:43
He just needs to pass the medical!
Stan Schofield
46 Posted 05/01/2018 at 09:39:59
Craig@41: It certainly looks the case that we're no better run under Moshiri. Our points totals haven't really changed from the average over a decade or more (in fact, they've overall decreased over the last few years), and we're still selling players who are approaching their prime.

But unless a huge amount of money is injected like at City or Chelsea, it's difficult to see us progressing from the cycle we're in of being an 'upper mid table' club. Until that happens, players of the quality of Stones, Barkley and Lukaku won't want to stay at Everton to win nothing.

Shane Corcoran
47 Posted 05/01/2018 at 09:45:33
John #19, your view is valid bu there is alternative view that Barkely alluded to in the piece you quoted - "This contract means everything for me. It is my dream to play for Everton. This is the club I love and I see it as home ."

If players didn't come out with such lines as this and "once a blue, blah, blah blah" then us fans would have less of an argument when what's happening now happens.

If they didn't make such comments we could all agree that it's just a job and it's a race to the top both in terms of finance and achievements.

I believe that 18 year old Rooney should have stuck with his boyhood club for a little longer at least, notwithstanding the argument that the money earned from his sale saved the club.

From a footballing perspective I'm not too bothered that Barkley goes. I find him hugely frustrating, although that may be partly to do with the options around him.

He's very much entitled to do what he wants as you say. But let none of us be proud when we see a fellow blue making the first team as we know that it's irrelevant. In fact, why don't all us fans just sit back and enjoy the beautiful game at its best by watching the best performing teams?

What's the point of all this following Everton lark anyway?

Brian Williams
48 Posted 05/01/2018 at 09:53:12
What's the point of all this following Everton lark anyway?

Shane, my Mrs asks me that often, and as I'm sure you'll agree, it can't be explained.

Sandra Williams
49 Posted 05/01/2018 at 09:54:47
So I presume he'll be back when he's 32 for his swansong, back to his boyhood Club?
Brian Hennessy
50 Posted 05/01/2018 at 10:03:19
Willian and Hazzard will be quaking in their boots wondering which one of them will be dropped...
Ray Roche
51 Posted 05/01/2018 at 10:04:13
What a shit. He could have gone in the Summer and helped his "boyhood club" who have brought him on and made him the players he is by signing for Chelsea then. No respect for him at all.
Karl Jones
52 Posted 05/01/2018 at 10:13:52
Typical Everton...Sell your best player on the day of an FA Cup Merseyside Derby (or even to talk about it). What great timing that is...Bound to give the whole club confidence for tonight.

Klopp says he is not interested in talking about Coutinho, Everton is all that matters. Who does that tell you is going to win tonight?

Everything about this club stinks and shows that they have ceased acting like a PL club.

Len Hawkins
53 Posted 05/01/2018 at 10:21:17
I would imagine in a couple of years his name like that of Rodwell Jeffers and others who were too good for Everton will vanish into the black hole of great prospects.
Tony Abrahams
54 Posted 05/01/2018 at 10:24:07
Seriously Karl? It’s not what anyone says, it’s what they do, and if everyone at the club knew he was leaving anyway then I don’t think it matters one bit.

If I get to Anfield tonight, and see Snides on the pitch, then that will put me on more of a downer, than this boyhood blue leaving Everton today.

I will look at Tosun, and think at least he wants to play for Everton right now, which is something We can’t say about Ross Barkley anymore.

Geoff Williams
55 Posted 05/01/2018 at 10:24:16
Barkley is a professional footballer and should think of himself first and foremost. He owes the club nothing, he has given them loyal service and in return he was castigated in public by Koeman. He is the biggest talent the club has had since the young Rooney. He will be huge loss but judging by the comments there's are large portion of the fan base who won't miss him. Sadly Everton are, and have been, a badly run club who are going nowhere with the current board.
Steve Brown
56 Posted 05/01/2018 at 10:39:08
Carabao Cup fodder. He'll be playing for West Ham in two years.
Joe O'Brien
57 Posted 05/01/2018 at 10:42:57
Karl I see Juve have reached an agreement with Can that will see him join them for free in the summer.. on the same day as the derby also!!!
Steve Ferns
58 Posted 05/01/2018 at 10:47:11
I am very surprised that it is Chelsea and not Tottenham.

The first thought that comes to mind is us agreeing a deal, Barkley meeting Chelsea, agreeing terms, and then them assessing his injury, and then deciding to save themselves half the fee by telling him to wait until January.

I cannot believe we are selling him. £15m is a lot of money, no doubt, but in the age €200m footballers like Neymar, it is pocket change. Therefore, if the club's finances allowed it, I would have told Chelsea where to go.

If this is what happened, and Chelsea and Barkley have colluded to do us out of a load of cash then Barkley is no Evertonian.

I don't like this one bit, on any level. But I am still angry that the board and the previous managers (Martinez included) did not have this resolved before he had 24 months left on his contract. When a player is young and happy, and the contract is 3/5 up, then you get a new deal sorted quick. Wage inflation in football is ridiculous and you need a new contract every couple of years to keep your best players happy.

Craig Walker
59 Posted 05/01/2018 at 10:49:32
Tony@42: I'd take the £15 million now and use it to buy someone who actually wants to play for us but it's the least bad option and doesn't make it a good one. Gross incompetence and any respect I had for Ross Barkley has gone.
Karl Jones
60 Posted 05/01/2018 at 10:52:43
I totally disagree Tony. Your focus tonight should be on the game 100%. Every question that is asked by the vultures will be about Barkley. That's a distraction whatever the importance of the game. They should have told Chelsea to do one until after the game and start acting like a Club with a determination to put their own interests first.

Everything this club does both on and off the pitch shows just how small and insignificant it has become.

Nigel Munford
61 Posted 05/01/2018 at 11:02:06
Maybe he just likes a blue kit Steve.
Amit Vithlani
62 Posted 05/01/2018 at 11:07:29
Steve Ferns

"If this is what happened, and Chelsea and Barkley have colluded to do us out of a load of cash then Barkley is no Evertonian."

What does being an Evertonian have anything to do with big business and huge money?

How about, for a change, pointing the finger at the collective comedy show that is Messrs Moshiri, Kenwright, Elstone, Walsh and Woods who have badly handled Barkley's contract situation? It is not like Ross' contract expiry date was a secret to them.

Koeman was allowed by the cretins who run our club to sound off and throw ultimatums to Barkely over the course of the first 3 months in 2017 - which betrayed the complacency that seeps inside this club.

Having failed to get Barkley to sign a contract in the summer, and failed to sell him against his wishes, Everton are now reaping the rewards of the pathetic mis handling of the situation.

Barkely and Chelsea will do very nicely out of this deal - even if he is sold on after warming their bench.

Everton are lucky to be receiving 15m and in age, as you yourself admit, when footballers are being sold for 100m-200m the incompetence of our hierarchy has not only cost us a good player, but in losing 30-40m in transfer fees we have not even managed to gain the market value of the player had he been under contract.

Michael Stevenson
64 Posted 05/01/2018 at 11:17:02
What a sorry mess. The club is rotten to the core. The arrival of Mr Moshiri has yet to turn that around. To be fair to him 30 years of neglect is hard to undo overnight but, sad to say, so far the signs aren't promising.

I'll bite my tongue on what Ross Barkley has or hasn't done to the club. Who really knows all the facts anyway? Suffice to say I won't be saddened (or surprised) to see him loaned out to West Brom or Watford or somebody in a couple of years time. Another case of unfulfilled potential.

Ian Burns
65 Posted 05/01/2018 at 11:26:38
He will be a Chelsea player today and for me it is a sad day on every level - I for one wish him well but I can't help feeling this a sad reflection on the club more than RB.
Ian Burns
66 Posted 05/01/2018 at 11:26:38
He will be a Chelsea player today and for me it is a sad day on every level - I for one wish him well but I can't help feeling this a sad reflection on the club more than RB.
Peter Anthony
67 Posted 05/01/2018 at 11:26:38
Rotten to the core? How can the board be rotten to the core when they offered the best contract ever to an Everton player to Ross Barkley? I remember Roberto Martinez saying Everton have no need to worry about Ross Barkley ever leaving because he loves this club and is an evertonian. How very wrong can a person be.
Jim Harrison
68 Posted 05/01/2018 at 11:35:03
Rotten to the core?because a player offered a contract commensurate to his input to the team rejects it in favour of signing for a better prospect? Sod off lad. It’s a simple story of modern football. Local lad story? Give me a break!! Some people rolling out quotes from his last contract signing, as an 18 year old. At 18 I wanted to be a rock star and play gigs at my local for my mates. By 23 I had a much different ideas.

He may live up to the hype, and good luck to him, no resentment to him on my part, but he will have to improve a lot to tie down a starting place at Chelsea.

This to me simply looks like a player running down his contract to secure the best personal deal for himself at the best club he can possibly get to. How do you realistically expect Mosh to convince him otherwise? Break the bank on wages? Sign world class players (love this idea, that by saying it pogba, Buffon and Ronald will jump at the chance to sign) to convince him it’s a worthwhile project? He is joining the current champions. In one fell swoop he has achieved both those steps and not needed to wait for the project to come into fruition

Player is leaving. He is now part of history. Move on and stop looking for scapegoats

Mark Rimmer
70 Posted 05/01/2018 at 11:55:18
BBC website saying he's off to Chelsea, what a horrible young man, screwing the club out of 20 mil plus however many hundreds of thousands in wages. I wonder if he ever felt a pang of guilt picking up his mega weekly wage knowing that he's no intention of giving anything back to the club? probably not, the second that professional contract is signed loyalty, integrity, and reality seems to go out the window. Good riddance.
Mark Burton
71 Posted 05/01/2018 at 12:05:43
Goodbye Ross. The chelski bench is long and hard. Bad business from the top brought this on, but good luck.
Christine Foster
72 Posted 05/01/2018 at 12:10:30
I wish him well.

To those who think he is the scum of the earth because he didn't want to be sold off against his will, and in doing so cost the club money, it's business and he played his hand better than any of the comedians we have in this club. From Kenwright to Koeman, From Elstone to Walsh... tell me, who comes out of this without egg on their face?

He had a contract, he was injured playing for this club, the club has a responsibility to the player under his contract. Being injured was not his fault. If it's true that Kenwright talked him out of signing for Chelsea in the infamous last-minute phone call, then Moshiri has every right to be pissed off with Kenwright. That phone call cost £20M.

Jon Withey
73 Posted 05/01/2018 at 12:10:53
Well, at least we bought Klaassen for £25m. Good job, Everton!

At the end of the day, it's his agent who has advised him to pull a fast one so he can rake in the wages or get a signing-on fee at the next club.

But you have to wonder about the organisation at the club in the last few years. The Dan Gosling situation was incompetent – but this one is much worse – he was clearly a valuable asset.

Tony Abrahams
74 Posted 05/01/2018 at 12:11:07
Fair enough Karl, but that’s why I was saying that if I see Snides, on the pitch tonight, I will be gutted because the only thing I’m concentrating on is the game.

If this affects the players, they shouldn’t be here, similar with what our new manager is also hopefully now trying to do with the players. If you don’t want to be here then leave, has got to be the best policy, and I think Allardyce is working on digging out Mirallas next?

Geoff Lambert
75 Posted 05/01/2018 at 12:13:36
Ian (#66), I don't expect him to go till last day of the window more wages for us to pay.
Nitesh Kanchan
76 Posted 05/01/2018 at 12:15:24
@Jim, The bottom line is that he has cost the club that we all love not him. We are right to be disappointed by that. If he had made up his mind last season, we could have easily got £50 million, but the club kept on believing in him that he would finally sign even going into final season. He has betrayed us for the trust shown upon him by the board.

I would say big lesson learnt by the board here, never to trust even a local lad and allow him to make decisions in the final year of his contract, get that decision done before itself. We could have had a very good striker with that money. Like I said big lesson learnt here, Barkley is history now; let's move on. COYB.

Henrik Lyngsie
77 Posted 05/01/2018 at 12:24:09
Steve 58. I think there is only one logical explanation. Salary.

Somehow I would also think he would fit in better at spurs than Chelsea. But Spurs is having a reputation for low salaries and they would be mad to make him one of the top earners.

Spurs are having a hard time keeping their top players happy. They have lost Walker. Rose and Alderweird making noises. If they offered Barkley more than some of those who brought them up in the top 4, they would create a big problem for themselves.

Anthony Hawkins
78 Posted 05/01/2018 at 12:25:35
I call 'conspiracy' on this potential deal with Chelsea.

Ross 'suddenly decides' not to go for the medical or move to Chelsea in the summer because 'it's best to make the decision when fully fit'. Most clubs would have taken um-bridge to that and turned their back thinking "he doesn't want us". Not Chelsea.

I say Chelsea told him not to turn up as they could buy him for less in January – £20m less it would appear.

Spurs may come in for him but my money is now on him going to Chelsea.

Tom Bowers
79 Posted 05/01/2018 at 12:40:59
Let's get this farce over and done with and get back to what's happening with getting ''our'' team back on track.

Barkley had his chances as have many others. Time to Spring clean.

Chelsea's £15 million sounds about right for this sulker.

Jamie Morgan
80 Posted 05/01/2018 at 12:45:13
Anthony... post #32! Exactly my thoughts at 8am!
Let’s get behind those now who actually want to play for Everton.
Anthony Hawkins
81 Posted 05/01/2018 at 13:05:44
@Jamie #80 - I read some posts but not all and must have skipped yours.

We need to focus forward onto how we improve the team.

Jon Withey
82 Posted 05/01/2018 at 13:11:21
Maybe we owe Chelsea a few quid for Lukaku?
Michael Burke
83 Posted 05/01/2018 at 13:33:44
This is how I imagine the conversation going between Chelsea and Ross's representatives:

"£35m now and £120,000 per week, or hold out until January. We'll pay half that amount in transfer fee but throw another £15k onto your wages fella. How does that sound?"

I love a conspiracy theory.

Charles Barrow
84 Posted 05/01/2018 at 13:42:04
The one thing that is clear from all this is that Barkley should have been signed up over a year ago. Koeman thought others were better and couldn't give a toss. Well, look where that left us – we are crying out for a creative player.

I personally am quite sad that he's leaving. Unlike some here, I think he'll prosper in a team that supports flair and with a manager that supports him.

Jer Kiernan
85 Posted 05/01/2018 at 13:45:27
This mess sums up for me how badly run our club is we have just haemorrhaged about £40 million on this deal, absolutely shocking and nobody will loose their job.

I am always trying to be the optimist but if we as club cannot keep a player like that, we are fucked going forward.

Also, I don't see any of Europe's elites falling over themselves to sign Tosun. As always, we can only hope they are "missing a trick" a la Sandro etc etc etc.

Craig Walker
86 Posted 05/01/2018 at 13:50:21
According to the Echo, it looks like Cenk Tosun's transfer wasn't completed in time for him to play tonight. It just gets more and more depressing as a Blue. Can we do anything right? Absolutely dreading tonight's game. I despise losing to the RS.
Steve Ferns
87 Posted 05/01/2018 at 13:57:58
Amit, I did and do blame the board. They could have and should have done more. There's no way the board will have offered him what Chelsea have, Everton could have said they'd match Chelsea's offer. Did Koeman or Allardyce (no other official from Everton FC speaks on the matter) ever say we had made a new offer, or would make a new offer? The words used were always the contract is on the table.

I may well be reading far too much into the words, but that has always smacked to me of the club trying to get rid of Barkley in a way that will not piss off the fans, those similar to me, who will be angry with the sale of Barkley even if was what the manager (Koeman not Allardyce) wanted.

No one knows what Barkley was offered but people have said on here, that he was offered less than what the three highest earners at EFC are on. For me, that's a kick in the face to our best player. Especially if Sandro is on more than Barkley was offered.

Nothing said on behalf of the club shows any willingness to recognise financially that Barkley was our best player, or at least one of them. I could stomach him being on less than the overpriced Gylfi Sigurdsson on the basis that he is our record signing and so would be on record wages, or behind Rooney being that he is Wayne Rooney, global superstar, but not behind Sandro, Klaassen, Schneiderlin or any of them. And if that's the case, I couldn't blame Ross for leaving.

But the manner of the departure, if he has colluded with Chelsea to do Everton out of £20m is frankly, illegal. The only way Chelsea could speak to him back in August is with our permission after agreeing the £35m deal, and if they used that to come up with conning Everton out of £20m then that is not within the transfer rules. The fact that Everton are selling him to Chelsea and do not appear to have much of a problem with what happened would suggest that what I have said is wrong, unless the board really are the idiots some on here portray them to be.

I'm unhappy with this situation on so many levels. The board, Barkley himself, Chelsea, and even some of the fans (the idiots who booed him). At least when Rooney left, there was the angle that the club was selling it's best hope to stave off financial ruin. Here we are selling off our best player because he doesn't want to play for us, and how an Evertonian doesn't want to play for Everton is beyond me, especially when for most of the last 12 months we were 7th and pushing for 6th and beyond.

Sure he's a professional and does what's best for his career, but it still breaks my heart to see an Evertonian leaving for better, because there's nothing better than Everton for me.

Hywel Owen
88 Posted 05/01/2018 at 14:02:13
I accept that Barkley will do what he thinks is the best for him and his career no doubt brainwashed by an agent who is after his cut and in fact does not give a monkeys about Barkley himself.

After he's been sat on the bench (wherever he goes) for the next 12 months, he will probably end up at Bournemouth, or somewhere similar, on loan.

Seen it all before, haven't we?

Frank Key
89 Posted 05/01/2018 at 14:04:15
Derby day and I couldn't be more depressed despite a ball not having been kicked in anger.

It is just starting to sink in that we have bought three No 10s for circa £80 million quid before seemingly selling our best one for £15 million in a Black Friday super sale. Everton that.

Tony Abrahams
90 Posted 05/01/2018 at 14:06:40
That's a downer Craig, even if he was only going to be on the bench. Henrik, is right because it's all about “salary”.

Football has changed, I listen to Wenger, saying it won't be long before clubs, won't be transferring players anymore. He said it's going to be two-year contracts maximum, and the players will soon be taking even more money out of the game.

It's not the game I fell in love with as a child, and although I would be delighted to win tonight, until agents are phased out of football, it's only going to get a lot worse...

It's now the nature of the game, and most Footballers have become like Bankers – full of unadulterated greed.

John Keating
91 Posted 05/01/2018 at 14:16:55
We could have finished up with zilch for him at the end of the season so in some ways £15 million is not too bad. Pity there wasn't a queue of clubs in for him to put the price up. Wonder why that was?

Martinez was the one who had a "love-in" with Barkley and any contract, either new or extended, should have been well sorted then.

Unless Chelsea are planning to bin half their present midfielders, Ross may not even make the bench.

I would imagine if his temperament is what we suspect, Jags telling him at Wembley they weren't booing him, etc etc then I can't believe he'd be picked to play against us next season. He'd be subbed crying after a minute.

Shame it didn't work out but, like many before him, he thinks, maybe rightly, he'll do better elsewhere. Bye.

Kevin Field
92 Posted 05/01/2018 at 14:28:11
I'm not concerned... really. It's annoying to loose someone who had the promise he has had... And I'm not sure he'd make a difference to our current team.

He's a bit of an enigma - you think he should be amazing, something special, but just doesn't show up - apart from the odd occasion.

He is a good footballer and he does have something extra, it's just that he doesn't really show it.

I wondered why Roy Hodgson didn't fancy him, why Koeman berated and criticised him, why Martinez through an arm around him? And Southgate clearly isn't interested. I could imagine that Moyes, if he'd had him at his disposal, would have used him as an impact player.

His role at Chelsea will be just that. As a player to come off the bench and have impact, perhaps offer something different.

Sad to see him go, but perhaps £15mill towards a more complete and talented playmaker, which is what we need. Someone in that "elite' age group 26/29 who can really play a bit.

COYBs.

Raymond Fox
93 Posted 05/01/2018 at 14:41:00
I'm disappointed with Barkley if he does indeed sign for Chelsea, I thought something could have been sorted out and he would sign a new contract with us.
If he is transfered for a measly £15m we have been well and truly screwed!
You cant make a player sign a contract if he doesnt want to, but the saga has been very badly handled by the club as per usual.

Whether we wouldnt match the contract Chelsea have offered, who knows.

Steve Ferns
94 Posted 05/01/2018 at 14:58:11
Moyes did have him at his disposal, was very reluctant to play him, sent him out on loan repeatedly, and then played him a few times only, and always on the wing.
James Marshall
95 Posted 05/01/2018 at 15:32:25
Has the saga been badly handled by the club though? They tried to flog him in the summer for a fair price agreed at £35m then it all fell apart for reasons we'll never know - now he's worth bugger all because of the length of his contract - not the clubs fault.
Jack Convery
96 Posted 05/01/2018 at 15:36:01
It was never going to happen for Ross at EFC. Same will happen with Tom Davies mark my words. Some expect far too much from the youngsters. They cant all be Alan Ball, Wayne Rooney etc when there 18/19/20 years of age. Once again are board have been out manouvered. the only time they got it right was with John Stones when they told CFC to do one. However the crowd got on his back and nows he playing great for City. The club doen't deserve the board but it doesn't need the boo boys either. Patience is a virtue very few Evertonians have - but sometimes you have to think, who can blame them. good luck Roos I hope it happens for you down there, not against us though.
Jon Withey
97 Posted 05/01/2018 at 15:43:59
The length of his contract is the clubs fault though isn't it - if you let it run down until 1 year left before selling then you effectively run the risk of losing them for nothing if they have a bit of patience.
Jackie Barry
98 Posted 05/01/2018 at 15:46:40
I read once that a contract was on the table towards the end of the Martinez reign but it was left unsigned. If true was it entirely down to money or did he just want out a while back?
Mike Connolly
99 Posted 05/01/2018 at 15:47:54
Patience is a virtue Jack.

How much patience do we need, we've won nothing since 95

John Pierce
100 Posted 05/01/2018 at 15:56:09
15m is chump change in the modern market, losing him for nothing would make little difference so why not leverage a player against the sale? We don’t need the money.

So what if the deal doesn’t come off he can sit out the last six months. If Chelsea want to avoid losing him in the summer it could be an alternative solution.

Realistically we are likely to get more from a getting a player from Chelsea on athree year contract say that the 15m for Ross.

But this board seems to roll over and like getting its belly tickled.

Paul A Smith
101 Posted 05/01/2018 at 16:23:42
Anyone now who thinks the club didn't want Barkley gone and the 50 million needs to go to the doctors.
Just like Rooney to United. The 50 million broke their hearts.
Shithouse club.
Michael Williams
102 Posted 05/01/2018 at 16:27:54
Jack 96. I agree completely. The supporters have no
patience and are too quick to get on our young talent. The young players who can be real game changers are the ones who make the most noticeable mistakes of course. Because they are trying to make plays. No one notices the "safe" players who just play their position and are solid average. They make few mistakes and fewer game winning plays.

Reminds me of Stones, who even at EFC was the best ball-playing English CB in years as he is now. Too many boo birds saw him doing "six Cruff turns" in his own end and ripped him mercilessly and screamed "row z." Guardiola saw Stones and thought "Damn, here's an English CB who can do six Cruyff turns, let this guy develop and he will learn the row Z part." Many here as well as English pundits wanted to turn him into a midfielder. That's like seeing a baby unicorn and saying, "hey, let's turn this one into a horse."

Everton is my club but sometimes I think we don't deserve these young prodigies. I fear for Davies. A youngster with real talent who will make obvious mistakes because he tries to make plays instead of playing it safe.

Jim Bennings
103 Posted 05/01/2018 at 16:39:55
Chelsea rent boy Chelsea rent boy, hello hello !!!!
Paul Tran
104 Posted 05/01/2018 at 17:05:58
Confirmed by the club on Twitter that he's gone to Chelsea. Cue the video of Tosun in the No 8 shirt.

Let's move on and buy a consistent midfielder.

Brent Stephens
105 Posted 05/01/2018 at 17:10:07
Hope he does well, just not against us.
Mark Riding
106 Posted 05/01/2018 at 17:12:28
Jamie Crowley about ? Weeks ago I called Ross a Rat for costing us £20m in the summer. You piped up on here giving me loads.
Has your opinion of the player changed at all today ?
Just curious.
Jackie Barry
107 Posted 05/01/2018 at 17:14:53
They completed that fast, we still haven’t completed the Tosun deal! What a bloody joke!
Timothy Blanshard
108 Posted 05/01/2018 at 17:17:29
Did I hear that correctly? A five and a half year contract.
Kenny Smith
109 Posted 05/01/2018 at 17:19:27
Not good enough for us, so definitely not good enough for them.

Antony Matthews
110 Posted 05/01/2018 at 17:19:28
Him and drinkwater will be bench buddies.
Tony McNulty
111 Posted 05/01/2018 at 17:25:51
Win win for Ross and Chelsea.

If (in the extremely unlikely event that) he manages to hold down a place in their midfield, then Chelsea have a fifty million pound player for a song.

If (as I think likely) he ends up playing Mickey Mouse Cup plus getting BA miles for warming the bench at CL away games, he will be off to Sunderland for thirty million.

In the meantime Ross gets a raise and a signing on fee.

We are the only losers here. However, in the past we have also done a number on other clubs with transfer fees (Lescott, Lukaku).

Let's move on. Tomorrow's chippie papers.

Jon Withey
112 Posted 05/01/2018 at 17:28:17
Chelsea show us how it is done !

Oh well, makes room for somebody else.

Andrew Ellams
113 Posted 05/01/2018 at 17:28:58
I'm very meh about the whole thing. He isn't leaving a huge unfillable hole in the squad. It's January and Sigurdsson is only one goal behind what Barkley managed in the whole of last season and he's supposed to be struggling
Anthony Flack
114 Posted 05/01/2018 at 17:33:41
Yawn -

And wait for a loan out to QPR. And not sure he is cut out for the bright lights of the Capital...

Andrew Keatley
115 Posted 05/01/2018 at 17:34:52
Steve Ferns (87) and a few others on here seem to think that any Everton player who is also an Everton fan should automatically want to stay at the club forever - and their measuring stick for this is that if they were a professional footballer lucky enough to play for Everton then they wouldn't leave. Romance is not reality though.

I think that's the problem with projections; they can be based on overly simplistic notions of reality. Maybe for Ross Barkley playing for Everton went from being a dream-come-true to something far-removed. Maybe his reality has become unpleasant, maybe his day-to-day existence would be better elsewhere. Maybe his new dreams will be better served somewhere else - whether they be about earning more money, winning silverware, getting into the England team, escaping Liverpool, escaping his past/present, or just getting a fresh start somewhere. I think we've all seen good situations turn sour, and I can only assume that has been the case for Barkley.

This whole saga has been handled very badly, and I would have been pleased if Barkley had decided that he desperately wanted to play for Everton for the rest of his career. Having said that, and based on his talent, he has not become the player that we hoped he would, and knowing that I won't be watching him flatter to deceive in an Everton shirt over the next ten years is some consolation.

I hope we negotiated a sell-on percentage as I can see him moving on from Chelsea within 18 months.

Michael Lynch
116 Posted 05/01/2018 at 17:36:40
Still a bit surprised the club let Chelsea and Ross shove it up our arses in this way. I would have made him see out his contract and told Chelsea to take their chances when he becomes a free agent in the summer. They've definitely shafted us with this one.

Charlie Lloyd
117 Posted 05/01/2018 at 17:36:48
What a shambles!

Not the actual move just the timing and no idea on the Tosun deal. Surely Chelsea could have been asked to keep the deal from completion till we were sorted. At least after tonight’s match.

Peter Morris
118 Posted 05/01/2018 at 17:37:13
I wonder if either party(club or player) will ever disclose the real circumstances surrounding this depressing chain of events?Why did Barkley back out of the transfer in August,unless he and his agent deliberately wanted to see Everton shafted for £20m? I wonder if they have used this shafting to ratchet up his wage demands over what was on offer in August?
Well Ross, what a shoddy way to repay the club that has nurtured you from childhood, and what a scummy club you have chosen to climb into bed with. Shame on your house,you scumbag! You will get eaten alive in London,lad.
Anyway. Silver linings? On the assumption he eventually turns out for those rats against us in the future, we may finally witness Mr Barkley finding an Everton player at last with one of his passes,such is his penchant for giving possession away to the opposition!
James Ebden
119 Posted 05/01/2018 at 17:38:56
hallelujah.

James Hill
120 Posted 05/01/2018 at 17:39:30
Bit of an over reaction on here. £15 million about right in my opinion for someone who is filling the quoter.
If that scare on his leg was actually an operation and nothing else he probably a bit of a high risk too. Strange looking injury never seen a scare like that on a footballer before.
Mark Burton
121 Posted 05/01/2018 at 17:39:45
We are losing a player with great potential, but if he doesn't want to stay then let him go. Chelsea got him for nothing if you compare the money spent by Konman for the bollocks he bought.
Ray Griffin
122 Posted 05/01/2018 at 17:41:10
Deal has more than a whiff of duplicity he wants to go in the Summer, talks to Chelsea who know he's going to be out for months, they say stay where you are for now but blame a change of heart for that decision. Gets sorted promptly in early January with a bonus in Ross's back pocket for saving them £20 million
Jay Harris
123 Posted 05/01/2018 at 17:41:39
Todays events just sum the clubs administration up.

Tosun takes over 2 weeks and is still not concluded.

Chelsea come in, we roll over and Bakley is gone in the shake of a hand.

No wonder we're always associated with Man U rejects.

We are no longer a big club under Kenwrights watch.

Michael Lynch
124 Posted 05/01/2018 at 17:42:19
Certainly is a weird one. Barkley pulls out of a transfer to Chelsea at the last minute in August, saying he wants to look at his options when he's fit again, and when's he's fit again he signs for Chelsea for less than half the amount agreed.

I really don't think Everton should be allowed to get away with not commenting on this. Have we been done over by Ross/Chelsea? Could we have a statement please, EFC?

Jeremy Jansen
125 Posted 05/01/2018 at 17:42:43
What's the point of all this following Everton lark anyway?

One of the universe's great mysteries... But here we all are. ;-)

Brian Williams
126 Posted 05/01/2018 at 17:43:05
Jay. We stopped being a big club in the late 80's. That wasn't Kenwright's fault.

And surely Barkley's personal terms were agreed back in August?

Everton knew he wasn't going to sign a new deal so have done what was necessary to get "something" for him rather than let him go for nowt in the summer.

Stu Gore
127 Posted 05/01/2018 at 17:44:40
Looking forward to our boyhood Evertonian's return to the squa... oh. Never mind, shite anyway. Looking forward to our new striker playing against FC Bigstand tonigh oh. Bugger.
John G Davies
128 Posted 05/01/2018 at 17:44:44
Jay,
We are crap for concluding a deal slowly and crap for concluding a deal quickly?
Paul Tran
129 Posted 05/01/2018 at 17:47:22
The difference in the way the official website reports the departures of Gethin Jones and Ross Barkley shows the club's feelings very clearly.
Terence Tyler
130 Posted 05/01/2018 at 17:47:44
Mark@106 is right, he has done Everton out of 20 mill, plus 6 months wages, no doubt for a bigger signing on fee for himself and bucks for his agent. By the way Mark, think you called him a snake at the time, not a rat, either way both descriptions are apt.
Mark Riding
131 Posted 05/01/2018 at 17:48:31
Michael Lynch. Check out The Mayor of Liverpools twiter feed. His comments about it are spot on. I'd put the pic up, but I get told off for that...
Michael Lynch
133 Posted 05/01/2018 at 17:49:40
Just saw it Mark:

I will be writing to .@premierleague & .@FA calling for investigation into the circumstances around the transfer of Ross Barkley between Everton and Chelsea. Agent pulls transfer on deadline day of £35 million doesn’t play again transfer 4 months later £20 million

Darren Murphy
134 Posted 05/01/2018 at 17:50:31
Adios you rat. Took us for mugs and used the club to pay his way and treatment. I'm not bothered one bit, 1 game in 15 doesn't count, he'll have to change his name to Benchly though.
Andrew Oxton
135 Posted 05/01/2018 at 17:52:57
Barkley and Liam Walsh gone. Gutted.
David Connor
136 Posted 05/01/2018 at 17:53:44
What a money grabbing scumbag he has turned out to be. And we paid the twat 6 months wages on top of what signing on fee he has recieved from Chelsea.

Good riddance to bad rubbish. Hopefully you will get your cumupance and we have the last laugh. A warm reception awaits you when you return to Goodison Ross. Break a leg, lad.
Matt Muzi
137 Posted 05/01/2018 at 17:53:47
Lets hope they give us first refusal on Loftus-Cheek!
Gordon White
138 Posted 05/01/2018 at 17:54:07
Thank God for that. Now Lukaku and him have gone we can move on. He never realised his true potential and nobody is bigger than the team. Nzonzi would be miles better.
Enjoy your time in Chelsea's reserves Ross.
Next.
Ian Burns
139 Posted 05/01/2018 at 17:55:50
All the best Ross I genuinely hope it all works out for you and Conte brings out the genuine footballer.

Chelsea shows Everton how to do it on and off the pitch. Tonight I'm gutted

Ray Roche
140 Posted 05/01/2018 at 17:56:25
More to the point, Liam Walsh, who I thought showed great promise, has gone to Bristol City on a permanent deal. Wonder what happened there?
Gordon White
141 Posted 05/01/2018 at 17:57:32
Matt 137. He's a far better player than Barkley.
Paul Smith
142 Posted 05/01/2018 at 17:58:57
Joe Anderson is fuming - writing to the FA, reckons we've been shafted by Ross & his agent. Surely he knows how much we need the money - Bramley Moore.
Dave Abrahams
143 Posted 05/01/2018 at 17:59:15
IAndrew) 135), really gutted if Liam Walsh has gone, where did you hear that? Who to? Not a wind up is it? how much? No more questions.
Dave Williams
144 Posted 05/01/2018 at 17:59:54
I'm more upset about Liam Walsh signing for Bristol City- what the hell has gone on here? Liam was supposed to be the next big thing before he went to Birmingham on loan, knew how to run a game according to Unsy so why have we sold him? Very bewildered and upset about this.
As for RB I have posted before about how strange this is but at the end of the day he can't tackle, he won't tackle, his passing is mediocre, he gives the ball away far too easily, his work rate is not great, he drifts out of games far too easily and too often, he doesn't play the killer pass and lacks guts. Yes he can dribble very well at pace and he scores some good goals but overall I won't miss him and I really can't see him making it at Chelsea.
Karl Meighan
145 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:00:13
Tough decision for the Club take 15m that can go to the new manager or leave it until the summer when we recieve nothing.

As others have said it looks like Barkley and his agent have played the Club. Cheeky shit using the medical team to get fit whilst costing the Club 20m.

David Barks
146 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:00:30
Moshiri's short tenure at the club has seen the departure of Stones, Lukaku and Barkley. That is the young spine of the team all gone. It has seen the installment of Allardyce as manager, a cast off third string RB from Southampton become our starting left back. It has seen the club operate for half a season with a completely unproven 20 year old as a sole striker. It has seen Aaron Lennon become our first choice right winger. And, Kenwright is still the Chairman. There is something very rotten here.
Ray Roche
147 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:02:07
Dave, it's on the Official Site.
Tom Dodds
148 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:03:09
Liam Walsh bought by Bristol City.
Probably 1-1.5 mill.
Bristol are 2 points off promotion to Prem.
Player (If they where to be promoted) could be worth god knows what after that,and he has a real chance of doing well according to many.
We need a miracle methinks to; GET RID OF KENWRIGHT ONCE AND FOR FUCKIN ALL.

Gavin Johnson
149 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:03:47
By the same token that we expected more from Ross Barkley because he's a 'blue' he also seems to get more empathy from some quarters of TW. Bottom line is the move should have happened in the summer. Young Ross has cost the club £20m and 4 months wages,

I don't begrudge Ross Barkley leaving Everton FC. If he had joined Spurs today I wouldn't care less. I begrudge that he has at best, appears to have used the club to recuperate in the familiar surroundings of Finch Farm. Or at worst, possibly colluded with Chelsea to save them money and get a larger signing on fee by joining in Jan.

Dave Williams
150 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:03:49
Dave- £1 m for Liam- pictures of him in the red Bristol shirt.
Totally gutted about this- what has gone wrong??
James Hill
151 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:05:00
Just watched Conte's pre-match interview. Takes the piss out off Dose Moronhio. His comments on Barkley doesnt suggest we will see him in the near future. Says he is young Harry Kane is 24? Potential, still? Lots of room for improvement, whoops? and young and English. Ah! quoter. Wonder who they will loan him to?
Clive Rogers
152 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:05:46
Brian #126, I have to disagree with that. We won the cup in 95 and signed top players like Kanchelskis in 95 and Barmby in 96. As far as I am concerned we have gone downhill ever since Kenwright took over. Three failed ground moves on his watch while almost every other club moved to a new ground without a problem. All our assets sold off. Bad business decisions which still affect us. The club has become a complete shambles under Kenwright without a doubt.
John Keating
153 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:06:34
All very sad. Usually the player who departs says something about the Club he has left even if they're shit. Rather disrespectful I'm afraid.
Brian Murphy
154 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:07:12
25 million for Klassen and Chelsea get Barkley for 15, Jesus fucking wept. I really would love to know where this club is going. We just seem to have no plan or clue.
Philip Bunting
155 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:07:24
In his time with Everton he has spent a lot of it injured. Maybe 1 staight season without an injury. Somehow I also feel he has faked this andxdragged it out until now. Watch him play games from here on in. Total snake. How much has he cost us in wzges and medical fees between August and now. Guessing 2mill easy
Dave Williams
156 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:08:04
I think they have seen the price and decided to give him a go and they will still make a few million if he has to be moved on.
Bit like us with Sandro- contract running down so pick up at a bargain price with nothing to lose.
Very disappointing from Ross- maybe we are too nice both on and off the pitch.
Stephen Brown
157 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:08:52
Gavin #149

Absolutely correct!! Don’t really dispute he probably needed a change of scenery but to lose your team £20m in four months and the wages! He has no morals!

Especially the way he was nurtured and treated when breaking his leg as a 17 year old!

I don’t care if we all say oh that’s modern Football !! It’s morally wrong what he has done IMO!

John Keating
158 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:12:53
Listening to Conte's news conference it would appear he had no say in the signing. in fact looking and listening to him he didn't appear too thrilled.
Neil Gribbin
159 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:14:20
Liam Walsh is the real kick in the gonads
Mark Andersson
160 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:14:59
As usual I read every post. Good luck to Ross I say I think the board are doing a fantastic job for them self's, after all we as fans do not know if there are any back handed skulduggery goings on, hey they appointed big Sam???

As for tonight's FA cup exit let's just hope the final score line is not so embarrassing..

I have just encouraged my son to find another team to support and his son too.. I'm sick of Everton FC small club mentality.. It's really is embarrassing being a blue. No wounder Ross has gone. Unfortunately for ME I was born a blue and will carry on enduring the stigma of being a fan living in the past glorious years of history, I was lucky enough to have witnessed. But why should my son who is now in his late 30's endure this crap along with his 7 year old boy..

Was we not envied years ago with the tag of the millionaires club. At 57 I have lived in hope to see us repeat the heights of the mid 80's, but I'm realistic, it aint going to happen anytime soon.

Good luck to any true blue going to the match tonight I hope a miracle happens and we beat the RS. I will say a prayer.. Even Big Sams pre match comments he sounds like a defeated man.. typical of modern day Everton.

Steavey Buckley
161 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:15:07
Walsh has signed for Bristol City for an undisclosed fee on a short 2 1/2 year contract until the summer of 2020, which suggests Everton have options to buy him back at an agreed price.
Liam Reilly
162 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:15:37
Can't believe Liam Walsh is gone without even a sniff of the first team.

It's not like they are all pulling up trees in the first team, as we'll no doubt see tonight with 11 men defending for 90 off minutes.

Joke of a club.

Dave Abrahams
163 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:15:40
Honestly more upset over Liam Walsh going to Bristol City than Barkley moving on. If it is only £1.5 M then Everton have robbed themselves more than Barkley and Chelsea have. What a ridiculous move, have they had a look at him since he came back from Birmingham City or has Liam decided he is better than some of those getting picked in the last few months and decided to move on.
Bill Watson
164 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:16:34
I absolutely agree with Joe Anderson that something appears wrong with this transfer.

Chelsea get a decent (no more than that) English player on the cheap. Barkley, no doubt, does OK too and Everton have fed him and paid his medical expenses all season. It stinks!
Simon Bates
165 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:16:50
Something seems to be amiss with the Tosun 'saga' now yet Chelsea bid yesterday and he signs today.

Either we're cocking this up or we're freeing up his wages to cater to Cenk's demands.

Maybe Moshiri isn't giving Sam a warchest yet.
James Hughes
166 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:17:21
So we want to sell in the summer for £35m, RB refuses to go. We now sell for £15m. Cheers Ross enjoy your money, maybe you got a slice of the difference

To make matters worse, Cenk has still not signed for us yet. What are we doing ?

John Audsley
167 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:17:21
Gavin @149

I totally agree, when Rooney left the money saved the club. Ross leaving like this has cost us millions and for what?

He may need to get out of the city but to be talking to the world saying its unbelievable to be at Chelsea and not say a word about his time with us annoys the fuck out of me.

I expected more from the man

Gordon Crawford
168 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:18:34
Yes Liam Walsh is gone also. He went to Bristol City.
Our club is firmly in reverse, very sad state of affairs.
Eddie Dunn
169 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:18:48
So, on the night of the FA Cup tie at Anfield, we see Barkley go for a song and one of our starlets, Walsh go to Bristol without a sniff of the first team. I could understand a loan to give him experience, but do we not rate the lad?
Andrew Oxton
170 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:20:13
Sorry Dave, yes on the official site. I wish it was a wind up. Players like these two, who seem to have more time with the ball than others are rare. Why are we letting these players get away?
James Ebden
171 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:20:39
Brian #154
do you not know how contracts work?!
a player openly refusing a new contract and with 6 months left is not going to command a great fee, the buying club holds all the cards.
that's ignoring the fact that Klassen is probably a better footballer!
Jon Withey
172 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:21:25
New policy if sell low and buy high ?
Tony Everan
173 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:21:28
Mark , please do not persuade your kin to support other clubs.

Everton is special , how many of us regret being an Everton fan ?

None.

When times are bad we take it on the chin , continue to support and do what we can to bring back success in any of its forms.

Keep the faith. Tell the same to your family.

Dave Williams
174 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:23:52
What has happened with the Turkish CF??
Clive Rogers
175 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:26:23
John #167, the Rooney money saved us due to bad business management.
Gordon Crawford
176 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:27:36
No no you don’t support another club. Never would I advise anyone to support another club. Yes the pain is constant, but someday it will make way for euphoria, here’s hoping.
John Audsley
177 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:28:52
Clive @175

Totally agree and 14 years later look who is still running the club.

Unfuckingbelieveable.

Kunal Desai
178 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:28:54
Poor owners - poor manager - poor players. That's sadly what Everton are. Just a shitty small club in the northwest living in the shadows of Liverpool. It pains me to say that but it is very true.
Kevin Prytherch
179 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:29:10
Michael 133 (and others)
Chelsea haven’t done much wrong here.
They’ve not illegally spoke to Ross because we accepted the offer in the summer. That meant they could speak to him.
They didn’t pull out then bid again, Ross officially turned them down.

While they have obviously played a blinder saving money, they’ve done it above board by getting Ross to ‘consider his options’. Nothing behind Everton’s back and no colluding to pull out and bid 6 months later.

Brian Murphy
180 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:31:15
Jamesthanks for the quick over view on contracts, really helpful that. The fact is no matter what you think about Barkley the player he should have been tied down to a new deal at least 18 months ago. An extra 25 grand a week over 3 years costs the club 3.75 mill. Fuck all in today’s money and that gives you options. By letting the contract get this late you don’t have any options.

In relation to the Klassen comment I’m going to ignore as you must be on ale since 11.00am this morning.

Gavin Johnson
181 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:32:11
Surprised to see that Liam Walsh has left. But lets wait for the exact details of the deal. If there's a buyback clause or we get a decent proportion of a future sell on fee I can live with it. The reason why is that we're overrun with midfielders and Beni and Dowell will be the young players who will get more game time next season. It's testimony to the graduates that we're producing.

Michael Lynch
182 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:33:46
Kevin, to be honest I never thought they'd done anything illegal, though Joe Anderson seems to think different. Immoral perhaps. Certainly against the spirit of the game in my opinion. And it's not like they're scrabbling around for money at Stamford Bridge is it?

If I'm pointing the finger anywhere, it's at Ross. If Chelsea did set up this shafting for EFC, he was the one who should have said no to it.

Dave Williams
183 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:34:02
Does anyone know if the Tosun deal is still on
Peter Cummings
184 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:34:05
Like the majority of Evertonians I'm guessing he won't be seeing very much action with Chelsea, the Injuries he suffered were almost as severe as Colemans and will continue to plague him for the rest of his playing career, (if he has one).

It appears that basically screwing the club he 'loved' shows he is simply a hypocrite, a liar and arguably a thief by conning the club out of several million in treatment costs and unearned income which in itself would hardly cover the 15 mil Chelsea are paying for his 'services', so all in all EFC are the ultimate losers.

Barry Williams
185 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:38:29
The evening of the derby, turn on the computer, check the sports news, see Barkley holding aloft a Chelsea shirt, read that Liam Walsh has gone for nothing, then read that the deal with Tosun has hit a snag over personal terms! Dear oh Dear. Everton all over, in recent years anyway!

From one PR disaster to another. Does anyone remember the Mayor's pronouncement about a 2 year time line for the stadium? That was the summer 2016!

Michael Lynch
186 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:41:33
Barry, yes this is shaping up to be one of those typical Everton days we've all come to know and hate over the years. Barkley fucks off for tuppence, Walsh for even less, Tosun is holding out for fuck knows what, and the Shite will do us in the derby tonight.

And that's why they call us the blues.

Gordon White
187 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:41:35
Tosun still not signed? What is going on with Everton signing players please? Who is in charge and responsible for this. It's a bloody joke.
Fed up with being the laughing stock.
Dave Williams
188 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:43:12
Is anyone else having to repeatedly log in every time they post?
Clive Rogers
189 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:43:46
Dave #183, yes, the fee is agreed with Besiktas. The player has not quite agreed something in his contract with EFC.
Phil Walling
190 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:43:51
Like many before him, he was always a better player when he was out injured !
Andrew Keatley
191 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:44:48
The one-time jewel in the Everton crown gone for £15 million. Meanwhile Liverpool look like they will get close to 10 times that amount for Coutinho...

And the gap widens.

David Israel
192 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:46:36
Looking at things from the outside, Ross Barkley's behaviour looks pretty cynical. For unclear reasons, he pulled out of the deal with Chelsea at the 11th hour, in August, and came back here to nurse himself to fitness. Now he has recovered, off he goes. So much for the passion and dedication of local lads. And they talk of 'foreign mercenaries'!
Clive Rogers
193 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:50:29
John #177, Kenwright said a few weeks ago “I know nothing about business”. Now he tells us, after 20 years, as if running a football club isn’t one of the most competitive of businesses.
Jackie Barry
194 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:51:48
Do they really think or believe they have replaced Lampard with Barkley. They are not even remotely similar.
Jacques Sandtonian
195 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:53:38
I wonder if Barkley gives a shit about playing for England? I’d have said to him you sign a new deal or you go for free next year but either way you won’t play football again this season and you won’t be going to Russia.

You’re right though, he probably doesn’t give a shit. We got more loyalty out of an Australian and people want to know why clubs don’t develop more local talent. And this home grown player situation in the champions league is a big driver. People like Delph at City. If Ross wasn’t English and trained at an English club as a youth he wouldn’t be on Chelsea’s radar.

I hope he’s behind Drinkwater and Bakayoko in selection.

Tony Hill
196 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:55:23
A great shame. I think he will do very well at Chelsea because he is a hugely talented player who will thrive among other very talented players. They have a bargain. The business was fucked for us back when Ronald sprinkled his magic all over the situation, no doubt abetted by other idiots of ours.

It is right though that he has now left us and we should forget about him. I think we're going to do ok in his absence, actually, all current doom and anxiety notwithstanding.

James Ebden
197 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:56:06
Brian #180
you are living under the assumption Barkley would sign a better contract. The noise coming out suggests he was refusing contracts before Koeman arrived and called him out. Maybe that is why the club have shown him such indifference because they knew all along he had no intention of ever signing anything.
Iakovos Iasonidis
198 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:57:24
Signs of the times. what a ingratitude little bastard. Fuck him!
David Israel
199 Posted 05/01/2018 at 18:58:10
Peter, #184, we're on the same wavelength. Preposterous is the best description I can come up with.
Barry Jones
200 Posted 05/01/2018 at 19:00:58
James #197, totally agree with your assessment. Also, I presume that the summer time "U" turn enabled him and his agent to get larger signing on fees this winter.
Kevin Prytherch
201 Posted 05/01/2018 at 19:01:26
Michael 182
I agree
James Stewart
202 Posted 05/01/2018 at 19:03:22
Idiot. Chelsea have better than him out on loan. Will struggle to make the bench.
Steve High
203 Posted 05/01/2018 at 19:06:21
None of us knows what's gone on really. I can't see him offering anything extra to Chelsea but who knows. Either way, 15 million for an Englishman of his talent is very embarrassing and will further compound the view we are very badly run, whether the fella turns out to be good or not.
Mike Kennedy
204 Posted 05/01/2018 at 19:09:18
He most likely didn't sign in the summer because he knew he would be out of action until now and someone at Chelsea had a word in his ear.

Rehabilitate at home with family and friends let Everton pick up the tab and you'll be rewarded handsomely in the new year.

Anton Walsh
205 Posted 05/01/2018 at 19:11:55
Why didn't we offer him massive contract to sign new deal then next window sell for 40 million before peeps realised how inconsistent he is? Oh we tried that and his agent sussed it and got the deal in his favour and not the club's. Club tried to screw him but he screwed the club. That's footie like it or follow darts.
John Pickles
206 Posted 05/01/2018 at 19:14:19
Inevitable, Siggurdsson was brought in as his replacement last summer.

Make sure to keep a pair of Everton pyjamas Ross, so that you can be welcomed back when you're no longer good enough to play at the top level.

That is of course, if you ever reach that level.

Brian Murphy
207 Posted 05/01/2018 at 19:22:17
James#197: I appreciate that and of course we have to make assumptions on certain aspects of all deals, however it’s not like we don’t have previous in making monumental cock ups over a number of years which you would have to agree.

To be honest James I’m just pissed of in general the direction the club is going.

No matter what you think about the DM & RM era’s at least there was a plan and a vision of how both managers wanted to play. We may not have liked it after a while in both cases but at least there was a plan. Looking at Koeman I still haven’t the foggiest what the hell way he wanted his team to play, on top of that he ripped the heart out of the team and replaced them with some shocking signings.
Now we have Sam, stop gap of a manager and will keep us safe and in time will move us up the table. I’m trying to give him the benefit of the doubt and will do so to the end of this season as he’s come into manage a team that’s so unbalanced. The football however is dreadful and that’s not Gona change.
So in 18 months we get another new manager I suppose who will again no doubt want to change the playing style and it’s just more time wasted in my opinion.
The only positive right now is the stadium. If that doesn’t come off well then I’m, actually I’m not going to even contemplate that. Anyway rant over.

I’ll probably have much better outlook and life in 3 hours if we get a result. As always COYB.

Carl Taylor
208 Posted 05/01/2018 at 19:24:48
Completely indifferent to the news, as without doubt he is not good enough for a club who play in the Champions League and will follow the path of other players who realised that cashing in when they are over-hyped was their best career move.
Jacques Sandtonian
209 Posted 05/01/2018 at 19:26:31
We should’ve taken Batshuayi in exchange. And we should put in an offer for Loftus-Cheek now because he won’t get a game at Chelsea.
Ian Hollingworth
210 Posted 05/01/2018 at 19:36:52
What a surprise we desperately need to buy a striker but guess what we need to sell first.

Nothing changes at Everton.

Stones, Lukaku and Barkley have all left for clubs with ambition who want to win trophies, sadly for us Everton do not.

All that said Ross has still screwed his boyhood club as he and his agent will have known exactly what they were doing. However that is football in the modern era.

You wouldn’t want to go for a pint with too many of the shallow fuckers.

Joey Brown
212 Posted 05/01/2018 at 19:45:22
Good riddance. Smells of dirty business after the summer. Saves Chelsea 5 million and gets a bigger signing bonus no doubt. I have no issue with players wanting to play for a better team, but this part turns my stomach.
Jay Tee
213 Posted 05/01/2018 at 19:47:20
Hope he plays as well for whoever he goes to as he has for us this season and last season,
Christy Ring
214 Posted 05/01/2018 at 19:54:29
Something stinks about this deal, very little from us, and not a word from Barkley, about his former club. I don't know if it goes back to Koeman, but I still say he should have been offered a new contract 2 years ago, not 12mths later, and a lot of talk of how much he was offered?
Nitesh Kanchan
215 Posted 05/01/2018 at 19:55:17
It is stupidity to blame the young players when they are playing against men.It really is boys against men.It is all about patience with young players.They play with older players and learn from them and make the next step.We already have a lot of them in our squad right now who have shown all traits of next big thing.
Kenny,DCL,Davies,Holgate,Lookman,
Onyekuru,Banigime,Dowell, Vlasic, Sandro all have it in them to make a perfect team for the future,each having different trait.They need the support and regular playing time.Not all of them can play together so loan them to other epl clubs.

The key positions should be occupied by the prime players. It is the players in their prime who should be booed when they don't perform,even at Bernabeu they do that to Ronaldo,Benzema,Bale but never to Asensio or Vascaz.When all the above young players reach their prime together,we will have unbeatable team but that is if they stay together.Right now identify the key positions,compare it with teams like Man City and let it be occupied by players in their primetime.I am sure we will see difference next season with Davies,DCL and Holgate who have played regularly this season.Look at Stones last season was conceding goals easily in premier league and in Champions League 6 goals against Monaco which ousted them and even Sane was poor,yet Guardiola persisted with them throughout last season and he is now reaping the rewards.It will take one or two season to see if they can actually make it.

If we have right players playing with them I am sure we will crack top 4 next season itself but midfield is somewhere we can't afford to play young players because that is the main area where the game is won or lost.Man City have De Bruyne,Silva and Fernandinho and other top 5 clubs all having players in prime playing in their.I would go for Mahrez next season to have a midfield of Sigurdsson,Mahrez and Macca/Gana. Davies/ Rooney can come on if one of the above 3 are having a bad game and in Europa league if we make it and other cup games.But I would prefer him to be loaned just like Atletico,other club which I support, did with Partey and Saul in their initial years.Rooney's age will catch up with him soon so we should not depend on him much.He is already making mistakes of giving ball away too many times in midfield.I would also like to see a Brazilian pacy forward,the last two who came in the Epl, Jesus and Richarlison,are doing quite well.So for front we can have Tosun,DCL/Niasse and Brazilian forward.In the back if we go with 2 young players in Kenny and Holgate,then the other two must players in their prime.Would like to give Keane and Mori till next transfer window to prove themselves.For the manager, now is the time to judge Big Sam,considering he has now got the striker and will bring the other required players,from the next 16 games he should get 35 points to be the manager next season,anything less and he should be out.Mahrez and another forward with pace should be priority next season at all costs.

John Davies
216 Posted 05/01/2018 at 20:00:44
I have been a Blue for all of my 60 years and I have NEVER wished ill upon anyone who has worn our fabulous shirt and moved on to pastures new. Until today.
I wish the lad nothing but mediocrity and dismal failure in his new venture. He deserves nothing less.
He'll have to play a damn sight better for Chelsea than he did for us to get any game time.
Mick Conalty
217 Posted 05/01/2018 at 20:03:09
Ross and his agent just a pair of greedy bastards.
I bet all their money is in the Cayman Islands.
Would"nt want to give anything to the NHS would we.
Jeff Spiers
218 Posted 05/01/2018 at 20:41:26
Ross, enjoy keeping the bench warm
Anthony Lewis
219 Posted 05/01/2018 at 20:55:08
Bye Ross, you absolute arse. By all means go to another club, but to fuck off and leave by screwing your boyhood club out of millions tells us all we need to know
Ashley Roberts
220 Posted 05/01/2018 at 20:58:36
I agree totally with John #216. Having supported Everton for 50 years I can say this ranks with the most disappointing days during this time. Having been a big admirer of Barkley over the years I really cannot fathom why he should pull such a dirty trick on his home team. For a player to screw his boyhood club as he has done somebody must have pissed him off big time. Like John, this news has tempered my liking for the guy and mankind in general. I for one was going to give him the benefit of the doubt but no longer. Hope this action brings all it deserves!!!
Will Mabon
221 Posted 05/01/2018 at 21:03:20
Many calling Barkley a rat, just assuming he's deliberately engineered a move out of greed, and done his boyhood club out of millions. Any of you know why he wanted out of his boyhood club?

It's yet another higher quality player sold or allowed to leave Everton, not retained. Higher salaries paid to Sigurdsson, and (if true), Sandro!

Real big club management.

Colin Glassar
222 Posted 05/01/2018 at 22:02:29
All the best Ross. Leave the haters behind lad and get on with your career.
Stan Schofield
223 Posted 05/01/2018 at 22:09:30
Ashley@220: Mankind in general? Get a grip. Barkley kicks a sphere of leather around a football pitch. It's a game. He wants to win things, which he's unlikely to do with Everton. As with Rooney in the past, Stones and Lukaku. No player in their right mind would want to stay at Everton when there's a top team after them.
Robert Leigh
224 Posted 05/01/2018 at 22:45:28
The lack of thanks to the club and the fans from Ross says more than anything.

The fact the normal lip service has been ignored, it’s more telling he is happy to be leaving Everton/Liverpool as a city.

More than footballing and financial reasons here I feel.

Can’t wait for his book when he retires in 15 years to explain this whole thing.

BTW I loved Ross, but Holgate’s attitude of “I’ll play football if I want to Big Sam, and I’ll push a Red S***e into touch if he asks for it” is awesome; let’s welcome him as one of our own.

Don Alexander
225 Posted 05/01/2018 at 22:58:52
I just hope the "All the best Ross" brigade don't ever whinge on here when we're having to settle for a signing £15mill short of what we really need, such as Tosun maybe.
Ashley Roberts
226 Posted 05/01/2018 at 23:32:20
Stan; I do not disagree with you but if he knew he was going to sign for Chelsea why did he not goin the summer? That is my gripe. We all want better things for ourselves but when you are in the public eye and it surely goes against many principles then that it was irkes me. There was no bigger fan of Barkley than me but these actions make no sense unless he really wanted to screw the club.
Chris Gould
227 Posted 05/01/2018 at 23:42:57
I recall Moshiri sounding pissed off on transfer deadline day when Ross pulled out of the move. He knew then that Ross had cost him millions.
It's poor from Barkley whichever way you look at it.
Even if you believe he had every right to make as much money out of the deal as possible. What sort of man is willing to do that at the cost of respect from the club he grew up supporting. He is aware that his actions will have consequences. His boyhood club has lost out on £20 million, he has very few fans left, and he the bitter feelings towards him won't subside any time soon.
There is the possibility that he turned down the move in the summer because he didn't want to go through 4 months of rehab at a new club where he didn't know anyone and didn't even have a home. Maybe he preferred to get fit surrounded by friends and family, and physios he knew and trusted.
Even so, the decision still cost us £20 million and is the less likely scenario. I think the decision was driven by greed and unethical behaviour from Chelsea and his agent.
The difference between Rooney and Ross leaving is that Rooney was too good for us. He had to go. It would have been wrong for him to stay as we were a very average side, and he was incredible.
Ross is not even close to being too good for us. I don't believe Conte even wants him. He didn't bother turning up to the press conference or interviews. He made it clear today that he isn't involved in recruitment.
I think most of us felt that Ross made the decision in the summer because he wanted to play for Spurs and that perhaps we were forcing the move to Chelsea. Some on here wanted to believe that deep down he wanted to stay with us. We now know that was not the case. He followed the money and had no interest in playing for us again.
I have zero respect for him and will not follow his career with any interest whatsoever.
Sean Kelly
228 Posted 05/01/2018 at 00:03:34
Q: How come any decent player we sell, eg, Rooney, Lukaku and Barkley, are sold below market value.

A: Shitty Board and Billy Bullshit.

Good luck, Ross, get yourself some tweezers. Those splinters will need plucking.

Phil Sammon
229 Posted 06/01/2018 at 00:18:27
Perhaps cruelest/kindest interpretation of all this is that Barkley, himself, seems to lack the mental capacity to come up with a scheme like this.

I really think Koeman is to blame for the initial breakdown between player and club. I think Barkley was genuinely hurt by being singled out – especially in public. With Koeman gone, I thought things may work out. I even thought that's why he dismissed Chelsea previously. Evidently not.

I don't think anyone begrudges players the opportunity to progress, but this transfer leaves a very bitter taste. Paying his wages for 6 months, paying for and managing his rehab, all so he can fuck us over and get himself a nice big signing-on fee.

It's hard to love football sometimes.

Si Cooper
230 Posted 06/01/2018 at 00:18:45
Very sorry to see him go (because I rate him) especially under these circumstances. If Chelsea were desperate to secure his services ahead of others £15 million doesn't look like much wrangling, considering Besiktas were able to put the squeeze on us over Tosun.

I'm certainly interested to see how he develops in the future.

Chris Corn
231 Posted 06/01/2018 at 00:47:09
Don't really know why anyone's surprised it took so quick to complete. They only had to change the 3 in £35m to a 1. It takes seconds.

The contract was likely the same, if not bigger due to the savings they made. Not much to think about really.

As for him being underhanded, are we surprised? In fairness, it's not his job to make money for Everton. Same with Moyes who was criticised for preventing us getting compo for him by not signing up.

It's a multi-billion-pound cut-throat business and those that think otherwise are naïve.

Damian Wilde
232 Posted 06/01/2018 at 00:47:39
Brent Stephens, are you serious? You wish him all the best after he conned us out of £20 million?
Damian Wilde
233 Posted 06/01/2018 at 00:50:29
Tbh Ross is an average midfielder barely good enough for us.
Ed Prytherch
234 Posted 06/01/2018 at 00:50:37
Good riddance to the scallawag.
Clive Mitchell
235 Posted 06/01/2018 at 01:02:15
Damian, "Ross is an average midfielder, barely good enough for us" – are you serious?
Paul Ward
236 Posted 06/01/2018 at 01:23:25
Good riddance to the over-rated player that will still be showing great potential when he is 30.
Jim Harrison
237 Posted 06/01/2018 at 02:08:48
I for one still think Koeman was right about him, and calling him out in public was an attempt to try and get a reaction. It worked for a period then he returned to default.

Another poster made the point about him not wanting the responsibility of being the main man, and this maybe a fair judgement. In a side surrounded by quality he may find consistency and flourish, when he actually gets on the pitch!!!

For us at least it's over now. Sigurdsson is finally finding his feet and has some goals, Bolasie is back, Coleman on the way, a striker has been signed. A midfielder who hasn't played for 7 months (arguably hadn't played for 2 prior to that) has left.

If we could just get Klaassen playing as he can we would be in a much better place.

Filipe Torres
238 Posted 06/01/2018 at 02:30:45
Hi you all!
I'm sorry (in advance) for my English
I've been reading this topic with great interest, and watch a lot of people arguing about these Barkley move, as an orchestrated farce, made for the sake of the players own interest, and Chelsea's ability at the expense of the all incompetent Everton board.

I honestly don't believe that the board hasn't done all they could to keep Ross, and renew his contract with the best wages possible.

And the reason is simple: they could then get a shit'load of money selling him after a world cup.

The fact Ross hasn't accepted shows he has no interest in stay and play for EFC. You could say he is entitled to, and the same applies to his decision of not signing for Chelsea earlier, but the fact he has failed to do so (intentionally or not) have hurt Everton.

Many of you say it's business, but that's not, in fact in business what drives business and produces wealth is trust and good personal and business relationship with your business partners, which I don't see in all this story, and that in the end will hurt Barkley if he doesn't fit the bill in Chelsea's midfield, and no other big club would touch him, making him a squad player in a mid table team.

As for the on-fieId play, I honestly doubt he has the quickness of thought, and pace, to play at the highest level, which (we all know) leaves him to poor decision making, but he does show the odd brilliance in the highlights, and that is enough for the big clubs and greedy agents to get him a move, and give him the chance to prove he ain't that good.

Like Hungarian coach Bella Gutman once said, and I'll try to translate it the best way I can: "A player who sometimes does great things, may not be a great player, but a player that does it right everytime is certainly one"

Good bless all Evertonians (except Ross Barkley)... Ohhh and glenn keeley, though im not sure he is/was one ( just joking about glen )

Dan Parker
239 Posted 06/01/2018 at 05:30:24
We sold a diamond called Ross Barkley, Ratner's finest.

We also do cut-glass sherry decanters complete with six glasses on a silver-plated tray that your butler can serve you drinks on, all for £4.95. People say, "How can you sell this for such a low price?", I say, "because it's total crap“

Cheaper than an M&S prawn sandwich but probably wouldn't last as long.

Neil Carter
240 Posted 06/01/2018 at 05:43:15
Was he really a diamond or just a polished turd?

Barkley had great individual skills but poor awareness and judgment.

Talked about as great potential to the end because we wanted a local lad to do well but what that really meant was he never really progressed.

No longer has the protection and love of his local and boyhood club, I guess we we finally see what he really is – my bet is he becomes Jeffers Mk 2.

Ash Moore
241 Posted 06/01/2018 at 07:37:47
More evidence, if any were needed, on how well run and professional this club actually is. I knew we were in trouble with Ross Barkley the minute Allardyce turned up. The same Allardyce surprise dropped Ross for his one and only England squad.

He who laughs last laughs loudest. To be honest I'd much rather be getting splinters in me arse at Chelsea for a massive wedge than getting dogs abuse in a sea of shite turned over by Bournemouth, But that's me. And Ross too I guess.

Very sad; I hoped the Stones / Ross / Rom axis would be the catalyst for a return to the glory days, or at least a win or two against the RS. It has to come down to management doesn't it? All three of have left, and they have moved to the top three teams in the Premier League. Oh for a manager and not a dour Scottish bottler, a Catalonian naif, a don't give a fuck Dutch mercenary...

That's why I've done a Eugene and Jim Bennings and many many more's routine. You don't stop being an Evertonian but, like all relationships, it needs to be a two-way street. Being an Evertonian has been a far too one sided thing for 25 years - and counting.

I follow a lot more on here and reading the papers than I do watching them, and unfortunately, I haven't missed out on anything really. In fact, it's saved me fuck knows how much anger, pain, money, and whatever else, as reading about the fuck-ups is far less trying than actually watching them.

It's a self-defense thing for me at this stage; I can't get my hopes up because there's no point.

Jim Lloyd
242 Posted 06/01/2018 at 08:21:28
Filipe (238) An excellent post and I congratulate you on your English.

How anyone can pin the blame on Allardyce for Barkley's decision, baffles me. If I remember right, he was off to Chelsea in the summer and why he ducked out of the medical is a mystery. He didn't fail a medical, he just left before the medical took place, as I understand it.

The club offered Ross a massive increase in is wages and he didn't accept the offer. So it seems he was intent on leaving before the appearance of Allardyce.

I don't blame any player for wanting to go to a club where he thinks there's more chance of silverware and both Stones and Lukaku agreed to stay an extra year, then went. Fair enough, everyone knew they were off and we got a good wedge of money for each of them (though it surprised me to learn we got £75 million for Lukaku, rather than a figure nearer a £100 million.) Though I forget that Kenwright's magical negotiating skills came into play.

Barkley didn't give the club the chance to get a better sum, so to me, that shows he might be an Evertonian but he's acted like a spoilt brat. We were left with the option of selling him now or seeing him leave for sweet Fanny Adams in the summer.

As for Allardyce leaving him out of the England squad, Moyes, Martinez, Koeman and three England managers all decided not to play him at times, or even have him in the squad.

As for his football ability, well, Filipe has explained it in better English than I could.

Ben Dyke
243 Posted 06/01/2018 at 08:39:00
How can the club be blamed here? They have no power whatsoever! It was accept money now or keep him and get nothing in the summer. Not a very strong bargaining position.

It's all the players and his agents fault. We all know that Chelsea will have been able to say to him that if you come in January then we'll give you some of the money we'll save by not buying you now.

What would you do if the offer was put like that to you? And what do you think your agent would recommend you do!?

Oliver Brunel
244 Posted 06/01/2018 at 10:37:36
I've been reading all the 'Barkley is crap' comments, he's 'only worth the £15M'.

In my book he was by far the best footballer at the club. It must have taken something for him to leave his boyhood club (yes, I accept it may have been only money).

Let's face the facts: incompetent, unprofessional management from top to bottom, policy to sell the best players, incompetence in the transfer market. Barkley knows this – he sees it every day. Anyone connected to Everton sees it.

The club is a mess and Moshiri has failed to change it. He has accepted the tutelage of Kenwright and paid the price of keeping all the dead wood, ie, Elstone, Walsh, etc etc. Now we have a 'project' to just stay in the Premier League.

The truth is, we haven't progressed since the Moyes era... in fact, we have gone backwards.

Ian Horan
245 Posted 06/01/2018 at 10:48:26
Can we stop the "he left for this", "he left because of that"? Let's just move on. Ross Barkley is now a Chelsea player; incompetence, greed, unfulfilled potential are all immaterial. Nothing to see here anymore... We can't influence, alter or change this situation.
Jason Barker
246 Posted 06/01/2018 at 10:59:26
Sorry, Ian, no. We won't stop. We've been right royally shafted by the lad and I for one feel like venting my anger.
Ian Horan
247 Posted 06/01/2018 at 11:28:15
Jason @246. I am as angry as you that we have been shafted for £20 mill. But we can't change what's happened.

I would have rather left him in the reserves till his contract runs out that way he would never get the chance to go to the World Cup this summer. We would still have received between £8 and 10 mill for his development at a tribunal. But it's done and dusted now. I feel we should just look forward... far more positive.

Simon Smith
248 Posted 06/01/2018 at 11:29:26
Well said, Jason! He really has shafted us. At least when Rooney left, it helped the club out financially and helped us to even kick on!

Barkley is probably too stupid to understand, but I figure he must be getting an extra bonus from Chelsea for costing them £20 million less!

He can never be let to forget that he shafted his “boyhood club” – obviously doesn't mean to him what it means to us!

I don't often get angered by football transfers as I've realised them all to be over-paid over-rated mercenaries but, with Barkley, it almost feels personal!

Jay Woods
[LAT]

249 Posted 06/01/2018 at 11:34:20
We got mugged twice yesterday by boyhood blues, Barkley and Lallana.
George Traynor
250 Posted 06/01/2018 at 11:42:19
I haven't read all the comments on Ross Barkley but I feel he will become an also-ran at Chelsea and fall by the wayside, like Jack Rodwell, Joleon Lescott et al. Should've stayed where he was.
Andrew Cunningham
251 Posted 06/01/2018 at 12:01:42
What have Everton won in Barkley's lifetime? Zero. What have Chelsea won in his lifetime? Plenty. He doesn't give a shit about history or what might have been. All he sees are the bright lights of the capital and what probably will be.

Maybe someone whispered in his ear; maybe not... but the fact remains that he is gone. If things go pear-shaped for him in the future, I hope Everton are in a far better position than they are now and can say to Barkley "You made your bed... so Fuck You!"

Jay Wood
[BRZ]

252 Posted 06/01/2018 at 12:38:10
Strewth! The outraged and indignant are out in force on this thread! Helps deflect attention from yet another derby defeat, I suppose.

For me, plenty are getting it completely arse about face when blaming only Ross and exonerating the club. The club and the previous manager were fully aware of Ross's waning contract. They should have been fully alert to the risk of losing him for a low fee, or nowt, the closer it got to the end of his existing contract without renewal.

They should also have been alert to the fact that when he turned 24 last year, the club also lost the right to claiming a 'development' fee for the player should – as has happened – he left close to the termination of his contract.

Now I am not completely exonerating Ross Barkley in this. But legally, he has fulfilled his contractual obligation to Everton. You have not heard a peep out of Ross about the situation, other than a short statement in August saying he chose not to undertake a medical at Chelsea at that time because of his hamstring injury.

Rather than vent your anger on Ross, shouldn't you be asking more searching questions of the club's custodians that yet another of our best young talents has been allowed to leave?

How can anyone seriously expect the club to progress and return to former glories with this working model?

James Marshall
253 Posted 06/01/2018 at 13:04:49
At least Drinkwater will have someone to talk to on the bench.
Simon Smith
254 Posted 06/01/2018 at 13:07:07
That's what I told Barkley on Twitter, James (haha). Not that he'd read it.
Simon Smith
255 Posted 06/01/2018 at 13:07:07
That’s what I told Barkley on Twitter james haha. Not that he’d read it. I’m
Jimmy Salt
256 Posted 06/01/2018 at 14:11:38
Good riddance. No grudge – just so unprofessional and disrespectful... it beggars belief.
Gary Reeves
257 Posted 06/01/2018 at 14:17:33
I don't care one jot about Barkley going – I don't rate him, and I'll be amazed if he's a success at Chelsea. The lad's too dozy!

I'd rather we concentrated on some of the obvious young potential within the squad now, especially after last night's Cup exit. We wasted far too much time on Barkley.

James Flynn
258 Posted 06/01/2018 at 15:15:00
Across his 6 years, Barkley watched Arteta, Fellaini, Stones, and Lukaku leave. All four at whopping pay rises to silverware contending or winning clubs. Clubs consistently playing in Europe.

At the same time, he's watched Jags and Baines, in their primes, stay at lower wages, with a Best of the Rest contender. Both now playing out the string at a confused, struggling, mid-level Club.

It has been said, and repeated, on these pages that Ross might not be the clearest-thinking footballer out on the pitch. But he's not stupid. Or blind. Of course he left.

Starting with Rooney, then Lescott, the names listed above, and thru now to Ross Barkley, the only constant is Bill Kenwright; Mr Plucky Little himself.

As long as we have a 72-year-old musical theatre impresario pulling any strings at Everton, we will not be for real or taken seriously as a Club on the up.

John Harrop
259 Posted 06/01/2018 at 15:41:01
James (#258). Bill has been sidelined – he's no longer pulling many strings at Everton. Moshiri, Ryazantsev & Walsh are in charge now.
Raymond Fox
260 Posted 06/01/2018 at 17:05:05
Good post Jay (#252).

I'm still disappointed with Ross though, I thought something would be worked out and he would stay.

Dave McDowell
261 Posted 06/01/2018 at 17:21:46
To me, the issue is not Barkley leaving, that's his prerogative, but as a “Blue” in this situation wouldn't any of us just want to be able to return to Goodison Park at anytime and as a fan say “Hi, loved watching you play for us, understand why you left, hope to see you back one day”? He could have done that if he'd signed for Chelsea on the summer transfer window deadline day.

I'm in the camp that Barkley can fuck off; his antics cost the club £20 mil and this was solely due to his actions. I don't give a shit about his career going forward and I hope he gets dog's abuse whenever we play them, if he actually gets a game for them in the Premier League.

Brian Denton
262 Posted 06/01/2018 at 17:31:55
Jay (#249) – there is a clause in every Liverpool contract given to Scouse players which says they have to have been (or claim to have been) a boyhood Blue.

Not many people know that.

John Pierce
263 Posted 06/01/2018 at 17:41:15
Good or bad, shithouse or loyal blue?

Sorry but it's the board's fault, over and over again.

Kim Vivian
264 Posted 06/01/2018 at 17:48:31
Brazilian Jay is telling it right on these threads. And mark my words, we will regret losing Barkley.

I reserve judgement on his summer decision because, until someone enlightens me, I haven't got a fucking clue why that happened.

Trevor Peers
265 Posted 06/01/2018 at 18:00:02
We'll see if he actually ever gets a full game at Chelsea. He's obviously there to make up the English quota – no more than that. Financially, he will be secure.

The endless futile debate about his talent is finally over, thank heavens!

Sam Hoare
266 Posted 06/01/2018 at 18:03:06
People saying he has been ‘allowed' to leave. Has he? Wasn't he offered a pretty handsome contract about a year ago? What more can the board do? Lock him in chains?

If he wanted to leave, which seems clear (and he has every right to do so of course), then he could have at least left in August and ensured his boyhood club £20m more.

If Chelsea suggested that he wait out his injury and that they'd come back with a lower offer in January, is that legal? The whole affair has an unsavoury aftertaste to it for me which is a shame as I always thought he was a very good player who I enjoyed watching and we have missed him this season.

Jackie Barry
267 Posted 06/01/2018 at 18:03:10
Remember when Stones wanted to leave the first time around? Everton didn't let him leave and he signed a new contract not long after. Obviously he did eventually leave but the new contract allowed Everton to get good money for him.

In Ross's case, he does seem to have stuck the knife in for whatever reason, maybe legitimately. All I know is this club has stood by him at many points in his career, through the youth setup, his bad injury as youngster etc.

Does this mean he owes the club anything? No, but I do think he owes the fans something, most of whom loved him. To me, it all shows one thing: football isn't what it used to be.

Gerry Quinn
268 Posted 06/01/2018 at 18:09:08
Now Barcelona appear to be pissed about his move to Chelsea – don't clubs give notice of who they want to sell or is this slightly different that arrangements were made with Chelsea earlier?
Will Mabon
269 Posted 06/01/2018 at 18:16:24
The actual amount offered to Barkley has never been confirmed. The only figure I remember being speculated around the time was up to £100k per week with bonuses. Koeman called it "What is right for the player". Where has this £120k figure being quoted above, come from? I've never heard it before.

It appears he was only ever offered an amount less than Sigurdsson, less than Schneiderlin, and if rumours are true, Sandro. I don't know what Klaassen "Earns".

There has been ample time for Barkley to see how the players seemingly valued and paid more highly by the club, have performed. What would anyone expect him to read into that?

Steavey Buckley
270 Posted 06/01/2018 at 18:21:51
The Barkley saga was all about Ross Barkley, and what he wanted. He could have easily signed a new contract with Everton which allowed him to leave. In that way, Everton would have not lost money on him.

Instead, he purposely ran his contract down to make Everton lose money on him. So much for an Everton blue. These situations would be difficult to come about if there were no football agents, who for one reason or another are allowed by FIFA to exist, yet, are killing the game with their greed for money.

Soren Moyer
271 Posted 06/01/2018 at 19:30:08
So, Barkley and Chelsea successfully conned Everton! I bet he even wasn't injured for the past 4 months.
Neil Carter
272 Posted 06/01/2018 at 19:46:51
Oliver (#244),

I disagree – Barkley was far from the best talent we have. He was inconsistent and has limitations in reading the game which never improved since the day he made his debut. That's why he never established himself in the England team and was only a bit part player for his country.

His loss is nothing like loosing Rooney in his youth. He's talented but with limitations – but far from the best.

Brian Denton
273 Posted 06/01/2018 at 20:24:05
Neil (#272) – agreed. Losing Rooney in 2004 was probably the worst transfer-out experience I have had as an Evertonian, and I well remember Alan Ball's sale.

Barkley? Meh, never in that league. Losing him just shows our position in the modern game.

Tony Abrahams
274 Posted 06/01/2018 at 20:37:05
I was more disappointed when Franny Jeffers left Everton, way too early.

Jamie Evans
278 Posted 06/01/2018 at 21:41:11
Trousers has Ross with us had our down.
Ray Smith
279 Posted 06/01/2018 at 21:59:28
Ross is and has a very good football brain, but that is where it stops.

I have said it before and I'll say it again, Ross does mot have the cerebral capacity to conjure up the deceit surrounding his protracted/delayed transfer. Someone is and always has been working him from behind. Whoever that person is, has engineered the move since the close of the last window, possibly/probably in league with his new masters to save them £20m.

It stinks to high heaven and Ross is the puppet in the middle. I would welcome an investigation into the why's and wherefore's surrounding the whole saga.

Sorry, Ross, but in my opinion you will live to regret the decisions you have made during the last 6 months of your career. Don't say you were not warned!!!

Clive Mitchell
280 Posted 06/01/2018 at 22:04:13
Amazing how many people on here want to write the concluding remarks on Barkley's career given that he's (just) 24 and has just moved to the Champions (albeit the vilest club in Britain).

We'll all know soon enough won't we whether Ross was all that? If, in the next five years, he plays 20+ games in a Championship-winning side, or forms part of a Champions League winning team, presumably all those who weren't having him will come on here to eat humble pie. As if.

Dave Abrahams
281 Posted 06/01/2018 at 22:11:31
Brian (277), correct Brian, back to Olympiakos, where he came from.

£4M, according to the Everton website.

Ashley Roberts
282 Posted 06/01/2018 at 22:22:50
Liverpool get £140M for Coutinho and Everton get £15M for Barkley. Is he 10 times the player? I don't think so.

From my perspective I think these were the best technical players in both teams. Unfortunately, Liverpool have the players to fill the void and the money now to buy a decent replacement. What can you buy for £15M these days??? Mr Walsh, you certainly have your work cut out!

John Pierce
283 Posted 06/01/2018 at 22:33:48
The comparison with Coutinho is a touch tenuous but Liverpool protected its asset and got a fee under contract, you cannot argue with that business.

Everton have been slipped a fiver and a patronising pat on the head from the player and Chelsea. The board does my head in.

Add to that the calamity to get the Tosun transfer done. The lack of proper publicity, half-time at the derby, ffs. Allowing Barkley to be announced on a game day.

Just a shower of amateurs in that office at Goodison.

Bobby Thomas
284 Posted 06/01/2018 at 22:45:41
Coutinho is light-years ahead of Barkley, Ashley.

Brian Williams
285 Posted 06/01/2018 at 22:53:35
Bobby, as much as it hurts to agree with your statement, I do. Coutinho's won that shower numerous games and has destroyed us on more than one occasion. Different league to Barkley.

And the bastards move to replace him, before he's actually gone, with Mahrez!

Phil Smith
286 Posted 06/01/2018 at 23:11:02
This is a prime example of millennial behavior. What a total and complete knob-end! Feck off doon there then. Zero chance of making the World Cup this year soft lad.
Gerry McGuirk
287 Posted 06/01/2018 at 00:00:42
I'd have to say I've never really rated Barkley, it's always been about “potential” which he has never realised and I had come to the conclusion that he never would. However, to shaft us on the transfer fee after all the club has done for him is despicable to say the least.

While I may be naive to think that footballers these days should show at least a scrap of loyalty to the club that signed them up, fostered their talent, and supported them through injuries and loss of form (and he's had plenty of that!), at Everton we expect and deserve better.

We are not and never will be soul less clubs like Man Utd and Chelsea. We are supported by real people with a real love for the club, who bleed blue.

Shame on you, Barkley, and your advisors... and enjoy life on the bench at the Bridge and watching the World Cup on the TV!!

James Flynn
288 Posted 06/01/2018 at 00:32:31
John (259) - Bill remains neck-deep in it. Moshiri let's him.

The future of the Club? The docks? No no. Not Bill's money.

But the day-to-day of players in or out? Kenwright's a player.

And he needs to go.

Derek Thomas
289 Posted 07/01/2018 at 00:33:07
He'll do what plenty have done before him; go to a big club, sit on the bench (if he's lucky) for 4yrs, get the odd game here and there more than likely in the League Cup and take the money.

Potential

Failed Potential

Failed

May have a brief career Indian summer down the track in the manner of Huddlestone / Hull FA Cup final.

Depending on your point of view, he's been either very cleverly or very poorly advised.

Everton That.

Jack Convery
290 Posted 07/01/2018 at 01:18:35
Taken the Piss – end of. He has no love for EFC. You don't do what he's done if you love something as much as he says he loves EFC. Money is what he loves, as going to CFC is a career-killing move, not a football move. He's not good enough to get in their first XI. Silly silly boy. Get a pair of pliers to remove all those splinters.
Allan Board
291 Posted 07/01/2018 at 10:02:13
Well, the cup game may have been lost, but this cheered me up and made me chuckle no end:

"Ross Barkley to be Chelsea's new Lampard!" From within the media somewhere.

To mention Barkley in the same sentence as the best attacking midfielder I've seen is frankly so funny and an insult to Lampard's talents. Not in the same sphere, those two.

Garry Martin
292 Posted 07/01/2018 at 10:56:48
Ross has always been a potential great but never really achieved it, he reminds me of Jack Rodwell.

He also seemed to be shaken by his experience in a Liverpool night club some months ago; this may have affected his decision. Sure, we probably could have got more for him but realistically his limited remaining contract took a few noughts off that.

Ross will probably play a few games for Chelsea but will end up being transferred to a lesser team. Good luck, Ross, and no hard feelings.

Paul A Smith
293 Posted 07/01/2018 at 11:08:35
For me, it's not special treatment because "he's a blue". I would just like to know why talented Evertonians want to leave the club so often? We all insist on here we wouldn't leave Everton so what makes professional Evertonians do it.

I can't suggest I wouldn't leave for the money but accuse another Evertonian of doing the same. My guess is they know well before we do that they have a certain great value and the club wants to make use of it.

Eric Paul
294 Posted 07/01/2018 at 18:54:52
Phil @286

On the contrary, he will be an automatic choice now he is with one of the Sky darlings. Phillip Neville got 50 odd caps whilst warming the Man Utd bench. I don't think he got many caps when he was our ever-present captain.

James Marshall
295 Posted 07/01/2018 at 19:58:22
We offered him a contract, he didn't want to sign it. He wanted to leave. He has every right to. He's unlikely to win much at Everton!
Tim Wardrop
296 Posted 08/01/2018 at 12:05:28
Gutted he's gone – our best player by some distance.
Michael Williams
297 Posted 08/01/2018 at 14:05:36
Barkley owes the club nothing. Nada, zilch, zero.

"All I know is this club has stood by him at many points in his career, through the youth setup, his bad injury as youngster etc."

Of course the club did. Ross was a very promising player. What is the club supposed to do? Not develop a good young talent, thrown him out after his injury at age 17? Christ, it's the business of a club to develop and rehab players.

"Ross should have got the club £20 million more."

The club let Barkley's contract run down and then Koeman constantly singles him out for public criticism when many on the club were underperforming – and the club backs it.

After letting his contract run down and the public criticism, the club offers him a contract and he says not enough. Koeman then gives him a public ultimatum of sign it or we're getting rid of you! No one does this. The club makes no counter offer and he's supposed to work to get the club more money?

Sorry, but at this point it's about business for me. The club set the take it or leave it terms so Barkley owes Everton Football Club nothing.

Lastly the supporters. These things were being said when he was 21 years old: "No football brain", "lacking in mental capacity", "inconsistent", "not improved since he was 17", etc etc, ad infinitum. If I was taking years of abuse from supporters like he got here, I would want away too. Just like Stones and Lukaku.

Look, most of the anti-Barkley commenters here have been ripping him for years. You got what you wanted – he's leaving. He owes us nothing.

Winston Williamson
298 Posted 08/01/2018 at 16:34:49
Eric (#294) – I agree. Two or three good games in the next twenty and he'll be in most of the England squads.

I have a theory as to why players get picked for England, which backs up why the majority of players picked are at the top clubs: viewing figures! The TV companies want as many of the top supported clubs watching, and what better way to pique their interest than to pick their clubs' players.

TV companies must have some sway – especially with the amount of money they now put into the game!

Not many Evertonians must watch England every game – I know I don't! I stopped watching when the likes of Stevie me would walk through a brick wall for Liverpool, but barely broke a sweat for England!

As to Barkley leaving, it's a shame it has turned out this way. One of my favourite players over the past five/six years. I cannot bring myself to wish him good luck, as he is now one of our competitors!

Christine Foster
299 Posted 08/01/2018 at 17:01:30
Michael Williams (#297) I couldn't agree more. It's a business and the club made the call on his contract; take it or leave it. So it comes out that Schneiderlin, Sigurdsson and others are paid more than he is... a lot more.

If it is all about money, then it's just as much the fault of the club.

Brent Stephens
301 Posted 08/01/2018 at 17:05:30
Michael (#297) – my thoughts exactly.
Peter Warren
302 Posted 08/01/2018 at 17:09:43
I’m not for or against Barkley but all this “public criticism by Koeman” and that’s one of reasons he’s not with us. Please grow up. He’s not with us cos he’s making a load of money at a better side elsewhere. No other theories are needed.
James Ebden
303 Posted 08/01/2018 at 18:47:30
Are we still talking about him?!!
Paul Kossoff
304 Posted 08/01/2018 at 19:08:24
All together now: Once a Blue, Always a Blue!

Barkley's just proven that to be bullshit. Money-grabbing, selfish, unthankful, greedy man.

I, as a life long blue, hope he ends up sitting on his fat overpaid arse on loan at Barnsley!

[Awaits tirade of uncalled for abuse😁👮👦]

Tony Abrahams
305 Posted 08/01/2018 at 19:35:22
Winstone @298, the best quote that I've heard for years, was when Sigurdsson's Iceland knocked England out of the last Euros. I think it was either the assistant manager, or the physio, who said that they were playing against the most over-rated team in the world!

Ross has gone quietly out of the black door now, and I just hope that Allardyce, starts playing Sigurdsson, in his right position. Overpriced he might have been, but it doesn't mean he's not a very, very good player?

Mike Gaynes
306 Posted 08/01/2018 at 19:42:25
Amen, Tony.
Phil Lewis
307 Posted 09/01/2018 at 03:33:48
Barkley was like the kid in the playground who astonished everybody with brilliant dribbling skills and everyone thought was the schools best player, until it became apparent he was useless in a team, because he had no idea how to play a simple first time pass to a team mate and run into space for the return.

In an Everton shirt, amazing skill one minute, totally frustrating the next. He will be exposed at Chelsea. I give him two seasons at best before he is sold on.

£15 million? Would have been nice to have got more, but better than going on a free in the summer. Chelsea can't lose on the deal really, whether he cuts the mustard or not. The business side of football stinks, full stop. Get over it. Sadly no such thing as loyalty any more. Agents hold all the aces.

To speak of him in the same breath as Coutinho is laughable. It's like comparing Peter Beagrie to Alan Ball.

Why haven't the Barcelona's and Madrid's been chasing Barkley for years? Because they could see right through him, that's why. His shortcomings and deficiencies have no doubt been well documented by Europe's finest teams.

Peter Gorman
308 Posted 09/01/2018 at 03:39:27
I honestly couldn't care less – he repeatedly proved himself incapable of using his brain.

Except where money is concerned. Speaking of which, I suspect others may be right about his little change of heart last transfer window and I wonder how much of that £20 mil he has pocketed. Hard to think of any other explanation.

Albert Perkins
309 Posted 09/01/2018 at 04:33:47
Ross will now be playing with top class footballers who will be running into space all around him. He may be able to fit into that system and be successful.
Andy Codling
310 Posted 09/01/2018 at 06:37:40
Of course it's all about money, any one who says they wouldn't leave their job for a better paid one is deluded.
Dave McDowell
311 Posted 09/01/2018 at 09:02:12
Just seen Coutinho's leaving message to LFC fans. Not one word from Barkley.

One guy is class; one guy is trash.

Sam Hoare
312 Posted 09/01/2018 at 09:22:25
Dave @311, not meaning to pick on you but if you're going to call someone trash on a public forum then you might wanna do a basic check of your facts. I'm no longer a fan of his and feel he should have left in the Summer as his mind was clearly set but here is the message Barkley posted:

Thank you to everyone for the well wishes and messages of support 💯 it's an amazing feeling to have signed for Chelsea and I'm excited about the future at Stamford Bridge 🔵

Chelsea are a massive club with brilliant fans and I'm looking forward to working hard here and showing everyone what I know I'm capable of in the coming years ⚽

Despite a challenging few months I've loved every minute of my time at Everton and would like to thank everyone at the club, coaches, players and members of staff I've worked with for everything you've done for me over the past 13 years. I will always look back with fond memories of my time at Goodison Park and playing for my hometown club in front of my own people has been a huge honour for me. Everton will always have a special place in my heart 💙

Michael Williams
313 Posted 09/01/2018 at 10:02:52
Good work, Sam (#312). I doubt we'll see an apology.
Paul Mackay
314 Posted 09/01/2018 at 10:24:23
Sam (#312) – where was that posted?
Brian Williams
315 Posted 09/01/2018 at 10:38:55
I saw the same message from Ross days ago and posted about it. I guess some posters don't read other posts and tend to jump in with both feet before checking their facts.

We've probably all done it at some point jumped in with both feet I mean, but calling Ross Barkley "trash" is out of order anyway. I feel the same about anybody connected with Everton who gets regularly roasted and accused of all sorts from theft to deception (I think you know who I mean) when the people making the comments don't know all if any of the details but simply make their minds up from media shite and the good ole rumour mill.

Yeh people have made mistakes, we all do, but some of the things some people are accused of are way over the top, IMO. Too many people just need someone to blame, again IMO.

I was on another forum and a so-called Evertonian on there said "I want Ross to stay and if he does he'll be a hero, but if he doesn't he's just a rat!" Translated to me as "If you don't do what I want you to do, you're a rat."

Fucking ridiculous.

We don't know why he left, and may never know. But in the absence of the full facts can't we give him the benefit of the doubt?

There doesn't have to be any under handedness or anything. The lad, after 13 years here, may have just wanted a change, ffs.

Nice one, Dave for apologizing, almost unseen on here, mate! ;-)

Dave McDowell
316 Posted 09/01/2018 at 10:42:28
Sam, thank you for highlighting my error and an apology to the absent Mr Barkley for the slight. Mea culpa.

I hadn't seen that statement anywhere and in the wake of my disgust at our (in my opinion, unnecessary) £20 million loss I saw the Zmist.

Chris Leyland
317 Posted 09/01/2018 at 10:47:39
Great – that ‘heartfelt' message from Barkley's PR department... oh sorry, I mean from Ross himself... is worth more than anything money could ever buy. Everton might always have a place in his heart but it is then placing of the millions of pounds he has secured for his fat wallet by delaying the transfer to January that seemingly really matters.
Brian Harrison
318 Posted 09/01/2018 at 10:56:00
Just read an interesting piece about what clubs have spent since 2008.

Man City £1.26 billion
Chelsea £924 million
Man Utd £811 million
Liverpool £780 million
Spurs £548 million
Arsenal £444 million.

Jay Wood
[BRZ]

319 Posted 09/01/2018 at 11:04:25
Got a link to that article, Brian? Does it report just those clubs you list, or all Premier League clubs? I'd be interested to read it myself.

The numbers are eye-watering and pretty much parallel the finishing positions in the league in that time.

Superficially on those numbers, you could conclude that for money spent, the 'poo have not had a good return for their money in comparison to the others.

Sam Hoare
320 Posted 09/01/2018 at 11:43:32
Dave@316, no worries. I too am not impressed at how he has handled things and feel he should have left in the Summer when at least we would have received a good fee, which Chelsea were apparently prepared to pay.

The message was on his instagram account I believe.

Brian Harrison
321 Posted 09/01/2018 at 11:49:52
Jay

This was a tweet from Chris Sutton the ex Blackburn and Celtic player he was just re tweeting an article from the Sportsman which is a paper I think. It only included the teams listed so I am assuming they were the top 7 in regards to money spent.

Martin Nicholls
322 Posted 09/01/2018 at 11:49:55
Does this link work Jay?

https://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/623415/Premier-League-clubs-transfer-spend-10-seasons-sportgalleries.

Similar if not identical to Brian's.
Stan Schofield
323 Posted 09/01/2018 at 11:54:08
Brian@318: On the face of it, just looking at those numbers, it looks like the spending by Man City, Chelsea and Man Utd has been cost-beneficial in terms of trophies won and status gained or maintained, whilst that of the other three (especially Liverpool's) has not been cost-beneficial.

It would be interesting to see what the figure is for Everton, which might be an indication of what we need to spend in the future to get consistent top-6 positions,

Jay Wood
[BRZ]

324 Posted 09/01/2018 at 12:10:16
Thanks, Brian and Martin – your link worked, Martin.

Reading the article and checking the comparative numbers now.

Tony J Williams
325 Posted 09/01/2018 at 12:38:35
For Barkley – Read Sidwell, Drinkwater etc.
Brian Harrison
326 Posted 09/01/2018 at 12:46:21
Stan,

I think the teams that spend the most win the most. I know Leicester proved the exception to that but that won't happen again in a hurry. When compairing us to the spending of the top 7, we can't compete, even though we have Moshiri on board.

I posted a couple of weeks back the only way we would be able to compete is if Usmanov joined and used his wealth and that of Moshiri to challenge for a top 6 spot.

Stan Schofield
327 Posted 09/01/2018 at 13:45:17
Brian, yes, I've said the same on a number of occasions on ToffeeWeb. In the 60s we were one of the best because of the John Moores money, which also influenced the 80s via Kendall. We were known as the 'cheque-book team', because we could sign top players more easily than other clubs.

Now it's Man City, Man Utd and Chelsea who are the equivalent to that. In contrast, Liverpool, Spurs and Arsenal are mere 'nearly clubs' who compete near the top but aren't at the top. They want to be the top, but they'll need a lot more money to do that.

We'll need even more, to achieve that from our current position. Only someone 'mega rich' like Usmanov can sort that out.

Brian Williams
328 Posted 09/01/2018 at 13:46:51
I see Mayor Joe has gone ballistic over the transfer. Written to the league and has approached the police over concerns of possible fraud!

Doesn't mess about like!

Stan Schofield
329 Posted 09/01/2018 at 13:54:31
Brian@326: Just to add to my post @327, given that the figures @318 are from 2008, and that Man Utd won the league 4 times since that date, whereas Liverpool never have, it looks like the management of Utd has been considerably more 'efficient' or 'cost effective' than the management of Liverpool, since £811 million isn't much different from £780 million.
Tom Bowers
330 Posted 09/01/2018 at 14:02:36
Without a doubt, having the superior financial clout keeps teams like Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsse and Man City where they are.

They can attract the very best with big wages and transfer payments to their clubs.

It means they can have a squad of over 20 top class performers so that when they have injuries they do not suffer, always having a starting eleven difficult to beat.

The rest of the clubs have 2 or 3 top performers, relied upon heavily, and when they get injured , more often than not the weaknesses are apparent in the
subsequent results.

That's just the way it goes and as mentioned, Everton had some of this good fortune back in the sixties although the amount of games played was far less over a season and the World television revenue and Euro big cash lure was not a big factor.

However, Leicester proved that this can be overcome with astute purchases and the right coaches at the helm albeit not every season.

Stan Schofield
331 Posted 09/01/2018 at 15:43:14
Folks talk about the 'top-6', etc., but it's actually more tiered as follows:

Top-tier:
Man City, Man Utd and Chelsea.

2nd tier:
Spurs, Arsenal, Liverpool

3rd tier:
Everton

4th tier:
Others

The 2nd tier are made out by the media to be 'elite', but they're not, because they win domestic cups at best, like the other tiers, but don't win the league. They get into Europe, but seldom win anything.

The 2nd tier are trying to be top-tier, but failing. The 3rd tier (us) are trying to be 2nd tier, but failing thus far, although some might say it's early days under Moshiri (come on Usmanov, you know you want to).

The spend figures @318 reflect (roughly) the top and 2nd tiers, whilst indicating fairly ineffective use of a large spend at Liverpool.

Shane Corcoran
332 Posted 09/01/2018 at 16:05:39
Very optimistic, Stan.

We're third tier ahead of the rest. We were near the relegation zone not so long ago. Does that suggest that we're favourites for seventh place?

I see Conte says that Ross in pretty good shape. Sure isn't he well rested up and his hamstring looked after? No wonder he enjoyed every second at his boyhoood club.

Tony Hill
333 Posted 09/01/2018 at 16:07:07
Interesting letter from Joe Anderson to the Premier League about the Barkley transfer. Apparently, he's asked the police to investigate.
Stan Schofield
334 Posted 09/01/2018 at 16:11:39
Shane, the tiering is based on league points and placings since 2008, averaged over that time. We have the occasional brush near the relegation zone, but we average out to 3rd tier. It's neither optimistic nor pessimistic, but simply based on facts.
Shane Corcoran
335 Posted 09/01/2018 at 16:38:47
I see, Stan.
Michael Williams
336 Posted 09/01/2018 at 18:02:29
Dave (#316) – Good of you to offer a me culpa. Not seen very often around here. Good man. I would hope your words may cause others to think before they post so much hate towards people we really don't know at all.

I am very much in the camp of Brian at #315 in regards to Barkley. With the added thought of my previous post that Barkley owes the club and supporters nothing.

Brian Williams
337 Posted 10/01/2018 at 07:47:36
https://www.101greatgoals.com/news/chelsea-payment-barkley-agent-revealed/

If true, that might point the finger towards who may have had a hand in the summer transfer falling through!!!

Ian Bennett
338 Posted 10/01/2018 at 08:05:06
£7m in agent fees. Well worth shafting Everton for £20m then.
Brian Williams
339 Posted 10/01/2018 at 11:21:44
The plot thickens if reports can be believed.

It would appear that Barkley's agent tried to use Barkley's contract extension situation in order to push through a move to Chelsea for Stones. He "allegedly" intimated that if Stones was allowed to go to Chelsea he (the agent) would get Barkley to extend his contract with Everton.

Now if the reputed £7m the agent received for Barkley's transfer to Chelsea is true, it makes you wonder how much his cut would have been for Stones to go there and makes you wonder whether Barkley's last minute change of heart in the summer was payback on Everton by his agent as Stones was not allowed to go to Chelsea but went to Man City instead where his cut may have been a lot less!

Agents eh? Can't live without 'em, can't hang 'em either!

Geoff Williams
340 Posted 10/01/2018 at 17:13:19
Something fishy about the whole deal.

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