Ex-England midfielder Barkley joins Luton Town

Ross Barkley is back in the Premier League.

The 29-year-old former England midfielder has joined Luton Town on a free transfer from Nice.

The Liverpool native made 27 league appearances for the Ligue 1 side last year, scoring four times.

“Ross brings loads of experience at the top level, has international experience and brings an x-factor,” manager Rob Edwards said. “He gives us something different, he has that ability to make something out of nothing and we need that in the Premier League. He’s got all the tools required to make a difference for us. It’s really exciting for the football club. We want the fans to be excited and they should be about Ross’ arrival.”

A product of the Everton academy, Barkley has made 232 Premier League appearances over 11 seasons with the Toffees, Chelsea and Aston Villa.

“Why Luton? Going from the Conference to the Premier League is a great story and for me personally to be back in the Premier League, it’s great motivation,” Barkley said. “I’m still relatively young and over the last couple of years I’ve not played as much as I’d have liked. But I’ve reserved a lot of energy and looked after myself, so it’s great to be here now as I’ve got a lot to show but I’m ready and feeling motivated.”

Internationally, Barkley was capped 33 times by the Three Lions from 2013 to 2019 and was a member of the England squad at the 2014 World Cup.

READ MORE

Luton Town have announced the arrival of Ross Barkley, with the England international and ex-Everton & Chelsea star signing on a free transfer.

The 29-year-old moves to Bedfordshire after his release by French side Nice, who Barkley played for last season.

Barkley has signed a contract of undisclosed length with the Hatters, with Luton saying they aim to have him registered in their squad ahead of their Premier League season opener at Brighton on Saturday (12/08) subject to international clearance.

The move sees Barkley become Luton’s 8th new signing ahead of their Premier League campaign.

After graduating Everton’s academy, and following loan spells with Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds, Barkley became an Everton regular under Roberto Martinez during the 2013/14 season, making 38 appearances in all competitions.

In all, he would make 179 appearances for the Toffees, 150 of which came in the Premier League, and where he twice won Everton’s Young Player of the Season award.

Barkley would leave Everton in January 2018 to join Chelsea for a fee reported as £15million. He would make 100 appearances in all competitions for the West Londoners, including an appearance as a substitute in the 2019 Europa League Final when Chelsea beat Arsenal in a final held in Azerbaijan.

But Barkley would fall out of favour at Chelsea, spending the 2020/21 season on loan at Aston Villa before being a bit-part option in the 2021/22 campaign, although he would score the Blues’ final goal of the Premier League season in his last game for the club before leaving by mutual consent.

He spent last season in France with Nice, scoring 4 goals in 28 appearances.

As well as being a Premier League regular, Barkley has also earned international honours, winning 33 caps for the England national team, scoring six goals.

In an arrival interview with the official Luton Town website, Barkley said he was excited to return to the Premier League and take part in Luton’s quest for survival.

He said, “Why Luton? Going from the Conference to the Premier League is a great story and for me personally to be back in the Premier League, it’s great motivation.

“I’m still relatively young and over the last couple of years I’ve not played as much as I’d have liked.

“But I’ve reserved a lot of energy and looked after myself, so it’s great to be here now as I’ve got a lot to show but I’m ready and feeling motivated.”

The move sees Barkley follow the arrivals of Chiedozie Ogbene, Mads Andersen, Tahith Chong, Marvelous Nakamba, Ryan Giles, Thomas Kaminski and loan signing Issa Kabore in moving to Kenilworth Road.

Manager Rob Edwards said his latest recruit brought something different to what they had and hoped they could harness it in their quest for results.

He added, “Ross brings loads of experience at the top level, has international experience and brings an x-factor.

“He gives us something different, he has that ability to make something out of nothing and we need that in the Premier League. He’s got all the tools required to make a difference for us.

“It’s really exciting for the football club. We want the fans to be excited and they should be about Ross’ arrival.”