Everton: Is Ross Barkley’s future already decided?

Sam Allardyce wants Ross Barkley to stay with Everton, but the new Blues manager hints that any decision may already be out of his hands.

Sam Allardyce’s reign as Everton manager is off to a good start, courtesy of the 2-0 win against Huddersfield Town. However, he’s smart enough to know things won’t always run as smoothly as they did on Saturday.

Case in point is the future of Ross Barkley, with all signs pointing towards him leaving Everton. The only question is whether he will depart in January, or after the season?

Not that this is going to stop Allardyce at least attempting to persuade Barkley to remain on Merseyside. Like David Unsworth before him, the former England manager has indicated he would like the midfielder to stay.

Allardyce made his feelings known to Sky Sports, following the win against Huddersfield. As reported by Lyall Thomas, he said:

"“If we could get Ross Barkley to stay then nobody would be more delighted than me. Whether that is a possibility I do not know. For me it’s about getting him back in the squad first and seeing where we are from there.”"

Barkley has yet to play for Everton this season, after tearing his hamstring during pre-season. While no return date has been determined yet, it is believed he is extremely close to getting back onto the pitch.

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At that point, it will be interesting to see how the 23-year-old performs. If he plays well, the Blues will then face the dilemma of whether to keep him for the remainder of the season, or sell him in January.

On the one hand, an in-form Barkley will likely help Everton climb up the table. However, keeping him would then mean losing him for nothing in the summer.

Allardyce’s thinking might be to use the remainder of this season, to persuade the England international to sign a new, long-term contract. To say this is a gamble, would be a major understatement, especially if the youngster has already made his mind up.

This is something Allardyce is well aware of. As he told Sky Sports:

"“I’d like to think we can keep Barkley, unless somebody’s already done a deal for him. I am not daft enough to know in this game that those words and phone calls might not have already gone on.”"

Barkley already turned down a move to Chelsea during the summer, with speculation indicating his preference is to join Tottenham Hotspur. If this is the case, nothing Allardyce, Unsworth or anyone else connected with Everton says, will have any impact.

And if this is the case, maybe it is best to just let Barkley leave in January, no matter how much the Blues have struggled this season. As with their search for a manger, sometimes it’s just best to bring matters to a conclusion, so as to avoid any more distractions.

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What’s your take on this situation? Do you believe Barkley has already made up his mind to leave, or is there still a chance he will remain with Everton? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.