Joey Barton (Burnley)
Many eyebrows were raised when Sean Dyche decided to bring free agent Joey Barton to Turf Moor. There is no doubting his ability on the field of play and what impact he can have on a match, but there is a certain amount of ‘baggage’ which can come with him. He likes to have his say, of which he is entitled to, and Dyche will have been well aware of that. However he seems to have matured this season to a degree and Burnley have felt the full impact of that.
The former Manchester City midfielder has formed a great partnership alongside David Jones, and most recently Dean Marney, at the heart of Dyche’s midfield this season. It is Barton’s impact in certain matches which go most appreciated by the Turf Moor faithful. In those tricky away games where they have had to grind out a win, Barton has easily played a 7 out of 10 in those type of games.
Let us not forget as well, Barton is actually a very good footballer. You don’t spend the amount of time in the Premier League as he has if your not a good player. The fact that Burnley are desperate to tie him down to a new deal next season shows how important he is and could be in their Premier League campaign next season. He is entering the later stage of his career, but that is perhaps when we could see the very best of Joey Barton. As a free transfer, he has been a masterstroke of a signing by Sean Dyche.
Switch to the next page to reveal a tricky wide man who terrorises full backs on a weekly basis:
