Chelsea snaps up Ross Barkley for reported cut-price £15M fee
Chelsea unveiled the signing of Ross Barkley on Friday, ending a long-winded pursuit that began in the summer.
The reported cost of the transfer is £15 million, a discounted rate due to an Everton contract that was set to expire at the end of the season. The Scouser signed a five-and-a-half year deal with the Blues, and will wear the No. 8 shirt.
"I'm overwhelmed, I'm looking forward to it and I'm really excited to get started," Barkley said.
"To be given a fresh start at a new club like Chelsea, it's unbelievable for me. I'm looking forward to continuing where I left off at the end of last season and hoping to improve and add more goals to my game."
Barkley refused a deadline-day transfer to Chelsea at the end of the summer window, but now joins after making no appearances for the Toffees this season. The midfielder has been hampered by hamstring issues, and Chelsea boss Antonio Conte spoke of the importance of getting Barkley back up to speed in a press conference earlier on Friday.
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
"It's important to understand about when he can recover from his injury," Conte told the assembled media earlier in the day. "This player has not played for seven months. If this player signs for the club we must have patience and help him recover quickly."
Barkley was on Everton's books for 13 years, making his first-team debut against Queens Park Rangers in 2011 at the age of 17. He quickly established himself as a bustling box-to-box midfielder, with his attack-minded and physical approach often drawing comparisons to fellow Everton academy product Wayne Rooney.
His most fruitful Premier League campaign was the 2015-16 term, when he fashioned eight goals and eight assists, earning a place in the England squad at Euro 2016. However, he didn't appear in that competition, and is yet to feature for his country under Gareth Southgate.
To win the attentions of the England manager ahead of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Barkley will try to steal minutes from N'Golo Kante, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Cesc Fabregas, and Danny Drinkwater in Chelsea's midfield.