Chelsea let a "player of the season" who's outperforming Enzo leave for £0

Chelsea let a “player of the season” who’s outperforming Enzo leave for £0

Don’t say it too loudly, but it looks as if Chelsea might have found some form this season.

There have been a fair few false dawns already for Mauricio Pochettino’s men this term, with their impressive post-Christmas Premier League run brought to a spectacular end by back-to-back hammerings from Liverpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

However, the Blues’ win over Aston Villa in their FA Cup Fifth Round replay was so emphatic that it helped to stop what could have been a dismal slide down the table for the rest of the season.

In fact, so dominant was the Pensioners’ performance against the Villans it just left fans and pundits alike scratching their heads and wondering why they couldn’t play like that every week. So, the fact Pochettino’s men were able to follow it up with another 3-1 away win, this time over Crystal Palace is incredibly promising.

Even one of the club’s most questioned players, Enzo Fernández, has received much-deserved praise lately.

However, given his talent and price tag, it would be hard to argue that he has lived up to expectations, especially as another midfielder in the league who joined their club for free has been outstanding this season, a player who left Chelsea for nothing less than two years ago.

Ross Barkley’s time at Chelsea

The player in question is man of the moment, Ross Barkley, who, after dazzling for Everton, signed for Chelsea in January 2018 for a fee of around £15m.

The Liverpool-born midfielder had been a revelation for the Toffees two seasons prior, scoring 12 goals and providing 11 assists in 48 appearances across all competitions, but that output fell to just six goals and nine assists the next season, and then in 2017/18 – when he signed for the Blues – he played just four senior games due to a Hamstring injury.

This injury clearly impacted Barkley’s performances at Chelsea, as in his 48 appearances in the 2018/19 campaign, he scored just five goals and provided only six assists, a paltry return which he never beat during his time at the club.

After another season of underwhelming performances, the 6 foot 2 Englishman was sent to Aston Villa on loan, but after a promising start, he once again failed to deliver, finishing his spell with five-goal involvements from 24 games and manager Dean Smith saying:

“He started the season like a house on fire, then, with the Covid break after his injury, he’s probably been as inconsistent as we have as a team.”

The writing was well and truly on the wall at this point, and after making just 14 appearances – in which he scored one goal – across the entirety of the 2021/22 season, the player who was once described as “the best English talent I have ever seen” by former manager Roberto Martinez was let go for free.

Ross Barkley’s Chelsea Career

Appearances

100

Goals

12

Assists

11

Goal Involvements per Match

0.23

All Stats via Transfermarkt

Barkley’s stock had hit rock bottom at this point, and with few offers from clubs in England, he opted to sign for French side OGC Nice.

However, life on the French Riviera wasn’t quite the escape he had hoped it would be, and while he made 28 appearances last season, he scored just four goals and provided only two assists, which simply wasn’t enough to impress the board as he was released after just one season.

While things were looking undeniably bleak for the former England international at this point, he was thrown a lifeline by the recently promoted Luton Town, and where some players might deem themselves too good to accept it, Barkley did, and oh boy, was that a good decision.

Ross Barkley’s stats at Luton Town

So far this season, the former Toffees gem has played 22 games for the Hatters, and while he has still been impressive in the cup competitions, it is in the Premier League where he has truly shone.

In his 18 league appearances, he has scored three goals and provided three assists, meaning he has averaged 0.33 goal involvements per match this season, and they have been vital involvements as well.

He provided the assist in the Hatters’ 1-0 home win over Newcastle United and then scored and assisted in the reverse fixture as well to help secure a remarkable 4-4 draw at St James’ Park.

The home games against Arsenal and Chelsea, while ultimately ending in defeat, were examples of what Barkley can do at his very best, and he has helped to give the Bedfordshire club a genuine chance at survival this season, which seemed outrageous in August.

His impact has been so seismic at Kenilworth Road that there are now genuine calls for him to be reintroduced into the England setup, and it would be hard to argue against those calls.

It isn’t just Luton fans who are singing his praises either, as former Arsenal great and Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson claimed last week that “Ross Barkley is not far off player of the season”, which, when considering the impact he is having on the Hatters isn’t as outlandish as it may initially sound.

Where Are They Now

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How Barkley compares to Enzo Fernandez

Now, with a World Cup winners medal hanging around Fernandez’s neck, it would be reactionary to claim that Barkley is the better player, at least at the moment, but what can be said is that the Argentine simply hasn’t had the same sort of impact on the Chelsea team.

He might in the future, but fans can quickly run out of patience.

For example, the former Benfica ace has played 52 games for the Blues in the year he has been at the club but has scored just seven goals and provided three assists, and while he’s not just there to score goals, it’s a part of his game that has failed to live up to expectations.

That said, how does he stack up to the Englishman when comparing their underlying numbers? Well, unfortunately for Enzo, it doesn’t look great.

The only area in which he comes out on top is passing accuracy, and even then, it’s not by much.

Ross Barkley vs Enzo Fernández

Stats per 90

Barkley

Fernández

Non-Penalty Expected Goals + Assists

0.35

0.32

Non-Penalty Goals

0.19

0.11

Assists

0.19

0,00

Shots

2.59

1.89

Passing Accuracy

81.5%

84.5%

Key Passes

1.90

1.06

Shot-Creating Actions

3.85

3.33

Goal-Creating Actions

0.50

0.22

Interceptions

1.01

0.78

Tackles + Interceptions

2.91

2.83

Ball Recoveries

7.66

4.78

All Stats via FBref for the 2023/24 Premier League Season

In comparison, the Luton Dynamo comes out ahead in all attacking metrics, key passes, shot and goal-creating actions, interceptions, and ball recoveries.

Ultimately, Enzo likely still has a higher ceiling than Barkley, but considering how poor Chelsea have been at points this season and how directionless they have looked, the Englishman’s presence could’ve only helped the situation.