Transfer News: Celtic are interested in Chelsea midfielder Ross Barkley
According to Football Insider via Blue Footy on Twitter (h/t football.london), Celtic are interested in Chelsea midfielder Ross Barkley. The Scottish side are also said to have submitted an offer for the player.
Barkley was part of Thomas Tuchel’s pre-season squad. He even played in the friendlies in the United States but failed to impress. This led to him not being allotted a squad number for this season.
Now, the 28-year-old has interest from Scotland. The report does not mention whether it is a transfer offer or a loan offer. But whatever it is, it is very likely to be accepted.
The Englishman joined Chelsea from Everton in 2018. Since then, the 28-year-old has struggled to establish himself in the team. He was even sent out on loan to Aston Villa for the 2020/21 campaign.
He failed to make a mark even there. The player is nowhere near Tuchel’s plan and is evident from the fact that he could only manage to make six Premier league appearances last season. N’Golo Kante, Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic are all ahead of the 28-year-old in the pecking order.
Conor Gallagher returned from an exceptional loan spell at Crystal Palace last season. He is likely to be part of Tuchel’s team this season, pushing Barkley further down the pecking order. Not being allotted a squad number should be the final straw for his disappointing four years at the west London side.
It will be wise for the Englishman to seek to ply his trade elsewhere. He is way down the pecking order and is not trusted by the coach. His departure will be a win-win for everyone. The wage bill could be reduced a bit and such money could be utilised to bring in any potential new signings.
The player was not part of Tuchel’s squad against Everton last weekend. He is unlikely to be included for the London derby against Tottenham Hotspur this Sunday.
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A move to Scotland, in this regard, sounds good for Barkley. He can get regular minutes and claw his way back to relevance. As harsh as that may sound, his move to Chelsea has overshadowed the reputation he built for himself during his time at Everton.
