'Street footballer' Barkley felt he had 'a lot to prove' when agreeing to join Luton in the summer

Having been labelled as the next Gazza earlier in his playing days, and enjoying a career that many would have dreamed of, ‘street footballer’ Ross Barkley still felt he had plenty to prove when agreeing to move to Kenilworth Road in the summer.

The 30-year-old burst through the ranks at his boyhood club Everton as a youngster, making his Premier League debut when he was just 17, starting for the Toffees in their 1-0 defeat against QPR on August 20, 2011. From there, he had loan spells at Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds United to get ready for the rigours for senior football, before his career really took off in the 2013-14 campaign, playing 47 times in all competitions, earning a first call-up for England too when selected by Roy Hodgson for the 4-0 World Cup qualifying win over Moldova at the age 19.

Going on to become a star at Goodison Park, Barkley was eventually sold to Chelsea for £15m in January 2018, but his career at Stamford Bridge didn’t quite pan out the he wanted, spending time on loan at Aston Villa, then opting for a season in France with Ligue One side Nice last term. Returning to England, he was unveiled as Luton’s marquee signing of the summer, with few, if any, outside of the Hatters, aware he had put pen to paper before he was unveiled back in August.

On just why he opted to head to Bedfordshire, the chance to make his name in the game again and manager Rob Edwards were big reasons, as speaking to BBC show Football Focus, he said: “I just felt like I had a lot to prove and I’d been missing my football, playing games. I feel like I've gone back in time as I've not played that much over the last three or four years, as much as maybe at times I deserved. Choosing to come to Luton, it was more the manager, I was speaking to him and he said he wanted me to just come and enjoy my football, play regularly and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.”

He certainly has so far, Barkley starting Luton’s last 17 successive Premier League games, something he hasn’t done since at Everton in the second half of the 2016-17 season, while his four FA Cup starts means he has begun 21 matches in a row for the Hatter. Along with winger Andros Townsend and goalkeeper Tim Krul, the trio are easily the most experienced players at this level in the Town dressing room, having played well over 500 top flight games between them.

With Town’s squad learning on the job at their new level this term, he has seen his role in the dressing room change, but has relished taking on the added responsibilities of being one of the senior players now, as he continued: “It’s different, it’s not one I’ve been used to. As I’ve got older now, I see things differently than I did when I was younger when I’d just come through. Then you’ve just got to show that you’re fearless, taking risks, now it’s more analysing the situation on the pitch and knowing when to calm things down, to slow it down, speed it up.”

Although Barkley conceded it was tough ever getting to show his best form for Chelsea, as he might have played 100 times in total for the Blues, but only 56 of them were from the opening whistle, meaning it was a stop-start spell in his career. He still managed to pick up some silverware though, winning the FA Cup, Europa League success and FIFA Club World Cup too. It was something he will look back on with pride, saying: “Playing with world class players every day, every competition you go in you’ve got that expectation to win the trophy.

"I was lucky enough to be a part of a winning team, which is something that I’ll be able to tell my kids when I’m older, so great memories. At Chelsea it was difficult as most players that were centre mid didn’t play 10 games on the bounce, so it was hard to actually be at your best. I was getting used to coming off the bench as a sub, just so different to what I was used to. A lot of competition which is the frustrating part, you’re going to one of the best teams in the world so that’s to be expected”

Barkley’s stellar form this term has been him tipped with not only an England call-up for the first time since 2019, but also a move away from Kenilworth Road in the summer, Manchester United recently linked with his signature since Sir Jim Ratcliffe bought a 27.7% stake in Manchester United, the 71-year-old also buying Nice in recent years, where the midfielder spent the last 12 months. Whatever happens, Barkley, who was once hailed as the next Paul Gascoigne when starting out, is going to relish the final years of his career, adding: “When I was younger and you see the headline saying that I'm like Gascoigne, it's always nice to hear.

"But I don’t really look at it and try and be like that player, I try and be myself. I've always had that street footballer side to my game, that’s just football to me. I try and enjoy the game, I don't really compare myself to anyone. I'm just enjoying the moment really and I believe that whatever’s to come it will be enjoyable. This, from 30 ‘til when I retire, I'm just going to enjoy this time now.”