A selection of Toffees supporters on the r/Everton Reddit page have been discussing if the Blues lost a ‘diamond’ by selling Ross Barkley to Chelsea.
The Liverpool-born midfielder left Merseyside for South West London 19-months ago for a reported £15million, and penned a five-and-a-half-year contract at Stamford Bridge, where he felt he had secured “a fresh start”.
His Toffees deal was due to expire in the following summer, having rejected improved terms at Goodison Park and a potential £30million transfer to the Pensioners on Deadline Day in August 2017.
Barkley had been on Everton’s books for 13 years before his winter departure, but had not played for the club for seven months because of a hamstring injury that required surgery.
Frequent minutes were not on offer at Stamford Bridge following his transfer, however, as the 29-cap England international was awarded a 54-minute run-out against Bournemouth before being sidelined again with a hamstring injury.
Maurizio Sarri’s arrival last summer resulted in a more regular role for the Pensioners, with the Italian calling on Barkley 48 times across all competitions, for a total of 2,725 minutes of action.
Frank Lampard’s subsequent appointment has not caused the 6ft midfielder to face a declined role, either, as he started their opening day defeat at Manchester United on Sunday, before being substituted off after 58-minutes.
During his time on the left-wing at Old Trafford, Barkley completed one of his four attempted dribbles, failed to win an aerial duel and was dispossessed twice, according to data by WhoScored.
The 25-year-old did register a key ball from his 19 accurate passes, though, as well as recording 39 touches and two shots, although only one of his efforts on David de Gea’s goal were deemed to be on target.
Following the suggestion that we may have lost a ‘diamond’ in Barkley to Chelsea, here’s what these Everton fans shared…
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