Villa eye Ross Barkley but how does he compare to the current squad?
Rumours broke over the last few days that Aston Villa were interested in signing Ross Barkley from recently relegated Luton Town this summer.
Barkley spent the 2020-21 season on loan at Villa Park and I think Ross would agree when I say the loan was a very up-and-down period for the midfielder.
He signed for French side Nice the following season, scoring four goals in 28 appearances but he was released at the end of the campaign.
This season he signed for Luton where he impressed but couldn’t save Luton from relegation. The 30-year-old stated when he signed for the Hatters that he was motivated to prove himself again in the Premier League and he did just that with some pundits calling for him to be recalled to the England squad.
The Guardian reported yesterday that Aston Villa and Ross Barkley were close to re-uniting but how does the midfielder who has been capped 33 times by his country compare to the current Villa midfield options?
How does Barkley compare?
Villa conceded 61 goals this year so anyone who can help them defensively would be a big help. Barkley averaged 1.5 tackles per game last season with only Boubacar Kamara (2.2), Douglas Luiz and John McGinn (1.7) averaging more.
He is right back up there for interceptions, with only Kamara (1.1) averaging more than his 0.8 per game. While no Villa midfielder averaged more clearances than the current Luton man.
Not bad eh? But what about going forward?
He scored a modest five goals compared to Luiz (9) and McGinn (6). Only Youri Tielemans (6) and Luiz (5) contributed to more than Barkleys four assists.
He competed on the Key pass stats also with only Luiz (1.5) averaging more than his 1.4 per 90 minutes.
Verdict
I trust anything Unai Emery wants to do, truth be told but those who have doubts over Ross Barkley due to his loan spell at the club may want to re-think. His stats compare to Villa’s best midfielders despite playing in a side who were relegated this season.
Depending on who you listen to, the deal could also be a cheap one meaning we add some much-needed quality to our squad. Remember, the squad that struggled at the latter part of the season due to the amount of game time they played?
Although nothing is official at this stage, I certainly wouldn’t be against Aston Villa signing Ross Barkley this summer.