Great Expectations – Ross Barkley

A year ago, few Fantasy radars were picking up Ross Barkley as a Fantasy option. The 20-year-old made just two starts in David Moyes’ final year at the Goodison helm but the arrival of Roberto Martinez transformed his fortunes and ensured the playmaker become a key figure in the Merseysiders’ sixth place finish.

Starting last season priced at 4.5 in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game, Barkley’s goal in the season opener against Norwich fired up an early bandwagon. A further strike in Gameweek 6 continued to see Fantasy managers invest heavily in the budget midfielder but the goals quickly dried up: Barkley scored just once in the subsequent 22 rounds of fixtures before finishing the season with a promising three goals in his final nine appearances of 2013/14.

Key Factors

• As the season approaches, Barkley has committed his long-term future to the Toffees after signing an improved four-year deal. While the buzz around Goodison surrounds £28 million man Romelu Lukaku, it’s perhaps telling that Martinez decided against scouring the market for a new playmaker – instead, the Spaniard took time to talk up Barkley’s talents after the youngster penned his new contract:
  

  “He is the best young English player I have worked with. When you assess or evaluate a player you always come up with an outstanding talent or something that has made them different. Ross is the most complete footballer which makes him different from the rest. Technically he has got the talent of a player who could be born in probably the best development markets around Europe. He has got the power, pace and physicality you need in the Premier League. He’s like a hybrid of an English player and a foreign player and it’s very rare to find that combination.”

• In his breakout season for the Toffees, Barkley started 25 times and was fielded as a sub on nine occasions. Bearing in mind he missed a couple of matches with a toe problem, he essentially failed to feature in only two of the league games he was available for. As the season unfolded, though, Martinez was a little wary of his game time and gave him the full 90 minutes just twice from Gameweek 20 onwards but as he matures as a footballer, we’d expect him to be afforded further minutes as he becomes more influential on the Toffees’ attacking forays.

• His game time may have been managed to some extent last season (averaging 70.7 minutes per appearance) but Barkley still offered plenty of threat in the final third. A total of 79 attempts on goal was still third highest amongst midfielders behind Philippe Coutinho and Kevin Mirallas and underlines his attacking potential. With more time on the pitch, then, that’ll only increase, though there’s no question there’s plenty of room for improvement when it comes to finishing – a lowly conversion rate of 7.6% led to just six goals, three less than Mirallas’ nine.

• Whilst some may feel a 7.0 price tag is a little steep for a return of 112 points in last year’s Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game, Barkley – as the playmaker in a top six side – may yet prove good value. Granted, Everton face a tough start but Martinez’ side showed they are more than capable of holding their own against the so-called bigger teams – two wins over United, allied with triumphs over Chelsea and Arsenal underline that their main Fantasy assets can prevail regardless of opponent. Twelve months on from Martinez’ appointment, Everton are now far more familiar with the Spaniard’s possession-based approach and with Lukaku leading the line again, there’ll be no settling-in period required this time round. As the popular midfielder in the FPL game (28% ownership) Barkley certainly has the weight of expectation on his shoulders – if he finds an end product, that show of faith could quickly be vindicated.