“Some people come from certain places and they don’t feel comfortable.”
Ross Barkley’s failure to join Chelsea was probably the most noteworthy part of a transfer deadline day that promised a lot but didn’t deliver. When you’re waiting on confirmation of Danny Drinkwater signing for Chelsea, it’s probably time to turn off the TV and go to bed.
Barkley was all set to join the Premier League champions. A fee worth £35m – which seems to be the going rate for English squad players in the final year of their contract – had been agreed with Everton. However, reports emerged on Thursday evening that the 23-year-old had pulled out of the deal, despite agreeing personal terms and undergoing a medical with Chelsea.
WATCH: Everton majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri explains the Ross Barkley situation. https://t.co/ic3Ol9FrNC https://t.co/ujqQBH87Aa
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) August 31, 2017
Reports later emerged that Barkley hadn’t undergone a medical. But either way, the midfielder had a last minute change of heart and the deal wasn’t completed. The England international isn’t part of Ronald Koeman’s plans, after telling Everton earlier this year that he wants a new challenge. He is currently injured, and won’t play again until November, so there was arguably no rush to join Chelsea if he wasn’t sure about the move.
It’s possible Barkley just wanted to keep all his options open, and the only party who really missed out when the deal fell through was Everton. The club were about to get a lot of money for a player their manager has openly stated no longer features in his plans.
Judge for yourself – a lot of viewers are calling bullsh*t! https://t.co/mb3AUAw5Ec
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) September 1, 2017
However, Paul Merson has an alternative theory about why Barkley rejected the move at the last minute. According to the Sky Sports pundit, the midfielder didn’t want to leave his native Liverpool to live in London.
“Some people come from certain places and they don’t feel comfortable and they might think, ‘I don’t want to be down here. I don’t want to be down in London’. They get nervous that way,” Merson said.
“But you can’t live in Liverpool for the rest of your life.”
We’re not sure what Merson is basing his theory on, but he was pretty sure about it.
Merson doing his bit for north-south relations pic.twitter.com/2Z91Y6vCfk
— Paul Hirst (@hirstclass) August 31, 2017
