There is no doubt that Ross Barkley is a player who is capable of individual moments of brilliance, flashes of magic that set him apart from other midfielders, however, his talent has never really been in doubt.
With 33 England caps to his name and a decent trophy cabinet, he has far from wasted his ability, however, it’s fair to say that he hasn’t quite hit the height expected of a player who once drew comparisons with Paul Gascoigne.
Speaking to Football Insider, former Gers gaffer Alex McLeish has similar fears in that he appreciates just how good the 28-year old is but questions why he has never kicked on:
“Difficult one, Ross hasn’t been able to cement his career anywhere.
“When I see him come on the pitch I see one hell of a great talent there. I was at a game last season when Chelsea demolished Norwich 7-0, Barkley came on midway through the game and you saw the classic touches he has.
“He just hasn’t been able to put that together consistently. Whether he can come to a giant club like Rangers and see the mentality of that dressing room.
“He is definitely a good player but Rangers will be looking at why he hasn’t been able to do too well. Aaron Ramsey will be in the back of their minds as well.
“He was never fit. What is Barkley now? 28? I hate to see a player wasting his talent. This guy has some talent, to not put that all together, it just makes you wonder a wee bit, mentality-wise.”
Barkley isn’t quite a luxury player but there are also only certain systems that his style of play suits. Rangers, especially in the Scottish Premiership, would be perfect seeing as we don’t need two holding midfielders and that Giovanni van Bronckhorst appears to have settled on a formation that sees us be more on the front foot.
I’m not sure that Barkley would have been a good option under Steven Gerrard, however, now, it is a move that makes a lot of sense and comparisons to Aaron Ramsey’s injury record are way off the mark. The Welshman was signed unfit and having just had covid and never got going – Barkley hasn’t had fitness issues for some time.
Very few players, other than the very best, are capable of magic on a consistent basis and it might just be that teams have to put up with him not always being a game changer, for the SPFL, he’d still be a good few levels above most opposition players.