Everton manager Roberto Martinez has claimed even a Gareth Bale sized bid wouldn’t be enough to take Ross Barkley away from Goodison Park this January.
Barkley has shone under the former Wigan manager, with his late freekick winner against Swansea this weekend further raising his profile.
Long linked with Manchester United, the 19 year old is one of English football’s hottest commodities but Martinez is determined to hold onto the starlet even if it means turning down a record fee:
‘Ross is in a moment of his career where, first, he knows that he needs to carry on developing and this is the perfect place to do that,’ Martinez stressed.
‘Second, he is a mad Evertonian and enjoying every single second. And third, we are in the middle of a season where we would never, ever consider disrupting what we have got in our squad now.
‘It is not the right time for the player or the club to consider anything. Even if we got a Gareth Bale-size valuation we would never even consider it in January. If we were facing a financial disaster, I would be telling you, “Look, we are in the lap of the gods”. But we are not in that situation at all
‘We are probably in the strongest financial position we have been for a long, long time. All we are going to make is football decisions. Ross is an icon for us.
‘He represents everything we are trying to do this season, so even if a stupid offer arrived in January it would never, never affect us. It is important for us as a football club to show we are making the right football decisions.’
For all the bluster and bravado of Martinez’s words it’s hard to believe him.
During the summer when trying to rebuff United’s attempts to sign Baines and Fellaini one got the impression that the right fee would have seen both become United players.
I think the same goes for Barkley and it wouldn’t take a ‘Gareth Bale sized valuation’ either.
‘It is not the right time for the player or the club to consider anything.’
With their season going the way it is, they are under no pressure to sell in January and Barkley will likely want to see out what has been an impressive season for the side.
But if they fail to make the Champions League, in a season that has handed them their best shot at doing so, then they may now find it hard to hold on to the midfielder and perhaps it is at that point that Moyes should test Martinez, and Barkley, with a bid.
I have to say that there is a lot of hyperbole from both sets of fans here. It’s true that United fans have an err of arrogance about them (I’ve been a football steward there in the past, believe me I know), but by the looks of some of my fellow blues on here they’re leaping before they can even stand up straight.
Unilike in years gone by when we had to sell Rooney given our dire team/squad/financial issues Moyes did a tremendous job in building a fantastic foundation with that and has been built on very well by El Bob so far; it’s be interesting to see how consistent he’d be with us years down the line. This aside, we no longer have to keep selling players as we are where we are on merit and not just the odd one off decent result.
You really should try to develop your own players and by that I mean not purchacing other team’s youth players before making the senior squad á la Powell, who I believe is from Crewe Alexandra’s fabled excellent and consistently so youth system. So stop with the feacal-matter stirring and fix your own youth system.
“Fix your own youth system” – I think one thing that can’t be levelled at United is a broken youth system, that’s one thing that Everton and United have in common. But remember this, in the summer your best midfielder and your best striker will be returning to their parent clubs and they will need replacing just to stand still, and then we’ll see just how close to a Bale type fee would prize your asset away from you, I’d say a little nearer to a Fellaini fee than a Bale one
“I think one thing that can’t be levelled at United is a broken youth system, that’s one thing that Everton and United have in common.”
Yeah. Could be wrong but seem to remember reading not so long ago that the 4 clubs that have produced the most players with Prem appearances on their CVs are Everton, Man Utd, Aston Villa and West Ham.
I expect Barry to sign on after his loan. He’s really enjoying it here and he’s out of contract in the summer, with Pellegrini happy to let him go.
Lukaku is good but over the last few games we have been winning convincingly (4-1 at Fulham as an example) without any input from him at all. When he goes, it may be a blow, but considering how out play is not reliant on a striker (unlike our delightful one-man-team neighbours) we will be fine without him. I fully expect Martinez to sign someone from the Eredivisie, La Liga or somewhere similar for a reasonable that will get us a decent (~15) amount of goals in a season.
Considering we are in an extremely healthy position financially (we had roughly £10m to spend before we sold Fellaini, meaning we have £20m to spend now, with no need to pay off debt) we have no need to sell Barkley.
In other words, go suck a nice, juicy lemon.
“It’s true that United fans have an err of arrogance about them”
It’s been funny to witness so many of them frantically trying to bash and bend all their previously held derogatory opinions of Moyes into a new shape that fits their ‘all things Man Utd are best’ worldview. In particular, at the start of the season lots of them (and plenty others) predicted Everton’s defence would turn to muck without Moyes at the helm – ie it’d have been all Martinez’s fault. But now we apparently owe it all to Moyes and the players he left behind for currently having the best defensive record in the Prem.
“fix your own youth system” – that is a ridiculous statement. Many of our youth system players are playing in the prem, very successfully. The only diff is, they don’t shine like Barkley does (big fish, little pond) whilst they’re at United (because of the level of competition for places)and don’t get massively overhyped as being worth 50m+ because of half a decent season. Everton fans p1ss me off making out their players are worth fortunes yet a player (from United) that has played and has experience at a much higher level than most of theirs is worth a pittence when they want them – Gibson, Saha, Neville etc. We have a number of our youth system players out on loan also currently doing really well with various Championship clubs earning their stripes, Lingaard, Powell, Tunnicliffe, Michael Keane, Will Keane just to name a few. There is a big difference though between being the required standard to break into a champions league side than there is at Everton who don’t have any worldclass players locking down places.
The reason why the ex-Utd players you mentioned are worth a pittance when we bought them is because your club wanted rid of them.
You think Barkley is a big fish in a little pond – that’s ace, because he was the best player on the park at your pond a few weeks back. He’d walk onto your team mate.
The issue is that you lot got mugged over Fellaini, and don’t want to accept that you can’t afford Barkley 😉
At least you have Fellaini, eh? Lol..!
RT @TheBusbyWay: Martinez Leaves Hints That Moyes Can Call His Bluff On Barkley: http://t.co/7QLVmNEdMW #MUFC #EFC (via @POAEurope)
RT @TheBusbyWay: Martinez Leaves Hints That Moyes Can Call His Bluff On Barkley: http://t.co/7QLVmNEdMW #MUFC #EFC (via @POAEurope)
RT @TheBusbyWay: Martinez Leaves Hints That Moyes Can Call His Bluff On Barkley: http://t.co/7QLVmNEdMW #MUFC #EFC (via @POAEurope)
‘ Barkley has long been linked with a move to United’…….by who? The deluded fans and the Manchester press? The Many failed and embarrassing attempts to steal Leighton Baines at a derisory fee has taught them nothing……Everton are no longer the poor relation and are a club that is going to the very top.
I don’t understand why United would want to buy Barkley while they’ve got Nick Powell who is by far better than Ross.
Don’t think you can say he’s miles better than Barkley when he hasn’t proven himself in the Prem. Having said that, neither has Barkley yet. No doubt in my mind they are both fantastic players though and hopefully they’ll both continue to progress and make successes of themselves. I would love to see Powell back at United and given a chance.
Nick Powell better than Barkley……HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA…..annnnnd breathe!!
If !!!!!!! Barkley does decide to leave it’ll be to either City or Chelsea or maybe even abroad not to a team that will need completely rebuilding over the next 12/18 months (ageing defence and worst midfield in the top 8), hence why mr ferguson retired early, when the transfer window opens they should be worried about Rooney and RVP wanting to leave rather than trying to buy the next wonder kid we produce, Rooney knew himself you were a dwindling force and demanded you invest in new players or he’ll leave for pastures new, in the end he settled for the paltry 200k a week you pay him, he’s probably off to Chelsea in jan anyway once Jose gets in his ear then you’ll only have RVP to rely on in those big games if he doesn’t decide to jump ship that is, rumours around the Dutch team is he’s not happy with the way moyes trains (run Forrest run ! Springs to mind, if I was a utd fan I’d be worried about who your going to lose rather than who your going to buy, ETID
Ceeb… Hard as it may be to believe but I remember the many many years that United went without the league…. And at the same time Liverpool were serial winners… Football is cyclical or rather it was before Sky’s billions unlevelled the playing field… Its not trophy envy it is frustration at unearthing jewels and then watching the media trying to flog them…. United are a class act and always have been…..and after all even you had to sell Ronaldo….always bigger fish….
Barkley’s long link with Manure???????? Since when, by whom, your current manager didn’t fancy him? Any decent player who shows up Manure’s charlatans is suddenly been linked with them by Manure’s gutterpress. Think more about this, why would he move to a rapidly failing team and business, worry more about Rooney being linked with the Blues when Champions League beckons next season rather than Manures highlight of a preseason in outer Asia. Once a blue always a blue.