How Chelsea fans reacted when Ross Barkley decided not to join the club last summer

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By Duaine Ansong

Published Jan 7, 2018

Here's how Chelsea fans reacted when Barkley's summer move from Everton failed to materialise

Chelsea completed somewhat of a surprising transfer on Friday as they announced the signing of Ross Barkley from Everton for a mere £15 million.

The 24-year-old spent 13 years at Goodison Park, scoring 27 goals in 179 first-team games, but hasn't played for seven months because of a long-term hamstring injury.

Barkley has described the January move as "unbelievable" and "a fresh start", but it was only last summer that he snubbed the Premier League champions.

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Midway through a medical, Barkley changed his mind about joining Antonio Conte's men after a £30 million deal had been arranged, claiming he wanted to consider his options.

Chelsea have got the attacking midfielder now, but how did their fans react when Barkley's summer deadline day move failed to materialise?

How Chelsea fans reacted when Barkley snubbed the club

It's safe to say that Blues supporters weren't too happy with Barkley when he reversed his decision to join the club whilst having a medical - and they didn't hold back either.

Many of them took to Twitter to question whether he was good enough to play for Chelsea and even expressed happiness that the Englishman didn't sign.

One fan even suggested that Barkley's antics will have annoyed manager Conte - check out the best of the reaction below:

The boyhood Evertonian is a gifted footballer, but he'll be competing with the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Danny Drinkwater for a place in Chelsea's midfield.

Barkley's time to shine?

After Friday's deal, Conte said, via BBC: "He (Barkley) is very young and has a lot of space for improvement. He's a good prospect.

"But at the same time, it will be very important to understand, if the player signs, we must have patience to help him recover."

Barkley has the vision, power and technique to become a top-class player, but having reached double figures for goals in just one season, the time to fulfil that potential is now.

Having underwent surgery in August, Barkley will be desperate to regain his best form in west London in order to have a chance at making England's World Cup squad.