Player who nearly signed for Everton after summer talks now compared to Maradona

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Everton endured a trying summer, in which Kevin Thelwell was kept supremely busy in an effort to bolster a threadbare squad.

Having witnessed his side struggle to survive in back-to-back campaigns, the former Wolverhampton Wanderers sporting director went about adding to their outfit on a budget.

Miraculously, and despite having to sell who many felt to be one of their key assets in Alex Iwobi, they are now quite clearly at a level far beyond anything seen in recent seasons.

The likes of Beto, Jack Harrison and Ashley Young have all made a big impact, and there could have been more had the finances been there and Sean Dyche decreed it.

In fact, one such rumour which persisted was the potential return of Ross Barkley, who was a free agent following his release from OGC Nice.

With it being reported in 2022 that they were in ‘advanced talks’ to bring him in, it was instead Luton Town who decided on taking a punt on the 30-year-old.

How good is former Everton player Ross Barkley playing this season?

Well, it is a gamble seemingly paying off, with former Everton ace Andros Townsend now speaking to talkSPORT about the performances of his new teammate: ‘It’s just unbelievable – the calmness, the ability to get the ball off the back four and knock it past some of the world’s best midfielders without a care in the world.

‘We saw yesterday against Man City, Maradona was in the midfield to set up our goal – honestly, it’s been a joy to watch.

‘In a way he’s given confidence to the rest of the players around him, including myself. Just that calmness to take the ball under pressure, it’s such an underrated skill.

‘He’s been absolutely incredible and he’s been an absolute joy to play with, but a joy to watch as well.’

The figures do somewhat back up this notion, with Barkley having scored once in his eight Premier League starts whilst also averaging 0.8 key passes and 6.4 ball recoveries per game alongside an 81% pass accuracy, via Sofascore.

With enough quality seemingly to compare with the World Cup-winning legend, it seems that perhaps Everton got it wrong with their former star this summer.