It’s being heavily reported that Rangers are on the verge of securing the signing of Burnley midfielder Joey Barton this summer.
The often controversial midfielder is out of contract at Burnley this summer, having only signed a 12 month deal when he moved to them almost 12 months ago, and despite having a contract offer on the table from the Turf Moor outfit, the 33 year old is looking at his options after helping them win the Championship title and secure promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.
Manager Sean Dyche has confirmed that Barton has held talks, and he has been photoed at the ground and Dyche has made little secret of hoping not to lose the Player of the Year, but in his words ‘fair play’ to Rangers if they can tempt him because it would be a statement of intent about the coming year and he also wouldn’t be ‘cheap’.
‘Fair play to Rangers, it shows the clout they have, because if they`re talking to him he`s not cheap. It shows their intentions if they see it as viable, they must be backed well. We`ve been open with our conversations with him and his advisor, but he`s still got his chance to look around and that`s what players do nowadays. They`re open-minded to what`s out there. He knows where we stand on it, we do actually speak to these people. He`s got some deep thoughts on what he thinks is correct. I`ve worked with him, not against him, and one of the first things people said was: ‘How are you going to handle him?’ I`ve said all along, he`s a man, not a boy. His contract runs out this summer. He knows our position on it and he`s got his chance to look around and do what he needs to do.’
Dyche’s thoughts were echoed by former manager Alex McLeish who said of the news.
‘It would be a really ambitious signing. When Rangers went through their revolution in the Graeme Souness era, he started bringing in some top English players in – and this jogs your memory back to then. It would bring a bit of showbiz to Rangers. Of course that`s not what they are aiming to achieve with this signing, it`s to be successful – but he would bring that kind of glamour. And, let`s face it, that`s been missing from the club for the last four years. Of course it`s a statement of intent. Rangers are not coming back to consolidate. They are coming back to try to beat Celtic and win the league. That`s where you are judged. People feel Celtic are ahead of Rangers in terms of quality but I don`t think there`s a big difference at all. I said before the Cup game that the gap was pretty close. And, if Rangers are bringing in the likes of Joey, then Celtic are going to have to react. That`s going to make it more exciting for everybody.’
Former midfielder Ronald de Boer also backed the signing.
‘He has knowledge of the game, he’s seen everything; it’s important because the team is young. They need a guy with experience, on the pitch and at the training ground. You need a leader; Barton can do that.’
Adding.
‘Everyone knows the magnitude of Rangers in Scotland – they know they are going to be the biggest rivals for Celtic. Of course they have to strengthen in some places but the manager knows that very well. They have to find better players or challenge some of the boys there. It is very important you have 18 respectable first-team players, and I think Rangers are capable of attracting very good players.’
