It’s all been about Joey this weekend
I was reading an interview with Joey Barton on Saturday that had been published in the Burnley Express when news broke that he was locked in talks with Rangers.
Looking back at that article two days later, I see comments that suggests he very much wants to be part of Burnley in the Premier League in 2016/17 so the breaking news was something of a surprise. Having said that, in a previous interview he had suggested that he was looking for a new contract longer than a year.
Only last week, prior to the Charlton game, he said: “There’s a desire for me to be here, that hasn’t changed, but at 33, stroke 34, I don’t know whether I want to stay for a year, that’s the reality of it. We’ll sit down and negotiate, I’d like to stay here longer.
“At this stage of my career it’s not financial, there’s no financial angle for me, I just want a bit of stability. My eldest child is about to start school so I want to put some roots down somewhere. If Burnley want me here great, if not then I’m summising that there’ll be one or two options.”
Rangers has become one of those option it seems. His friendship with Frank McParland is key just as it was when he arrived at Burnley almost nine months ago. At the time McParland was with the Clarets prior to moving to Rangers to reunite with manager Mark Warburton.
Suddenly, from nowhere, the Scottish press were falling over themselves to report that Joey was at Murray Park with some suggesting that a deal was close.
Joey, never one to shy away from a discussion, was strangely quiet on social media but he did tweet yesterday but only to confirm that he was playing golf at Loch Lomond but the presence of Kenny Miller seemed to get the Scottish press in a spin again, some believing that was a clear indication of a move.
Meanwhile, Sean Dyche was more than relaxed about the whole situation when asked about it on Goals on Sunday yesterday. I didn’t expect him to be in a panic about it but there seemed to be absolutely no concern when he discussed it and he joked about him not coming cheaply.
This morning, The Scotsman are reporting that Burnley believe they can talk him into staying despite Rangers hoping to offer him a three year deal to compensate for a drop in wages.
I’m no wiser but I suspect the story hasn’t changed much. Joey clearly wants to stay with us but he wants a two year deal. If that’s not on the table he will look, and probably go, elsewhere and Rangers could just be the elsewhere.
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