Aston Villa are current winners from Luton Town gamble | OneFootball

Ross Barkley may not be starring for the Villans were it not for Luton Town’s intervention

Luton Town took a gamble when they opted to bring Ross Barkley back to the Premier League in 2023.

He hadn’t appeared in England’s top division since a few cameo appearances for Chelsea in the 2021/22 season but the Hatters took a chance on him on a free transfer from OGC Nice.

After starting so well for Everton in his early years, it looked like Barkley’s career in England had faded away, but Luton revived it with their gamble.

Now, it’s Aston Villa benefitting from that gamble, having seen him perform well for Hatters despite their subsequent relegation.

Ross Barkley had showed signs in Ligue 1

Often small but persistent injuries had interrupted Barkley’s progression in the English game, which, via a loan spell with the Villans, had ended with Chelsea.

He left Stamford Bridge by mutual consent in the summer of 2022, making himself a free agent for the upcoming season.

French outfit Nice were the beneficiaries, picking up a midfielder who had been widely tipped to become England’s next big midfielder in his early career.

And he mildly impressed on the other side of the Channel, registering six goal involvements in 27 appearances, but did not have his contract renewed at the end of the season.

A Premier League return looked some way off for the then 29-year-old until Luton stepped in.

Luton Town took a chance on Ross Barkley

That spell abroad left some intrigued by Luton’s approach, having been promoted to the Premier League relatively unexpectedly.

They snapped Barkley up on a free transfer, and there was no sense the former England midfielder felt he was above the club’s station.

Speaking on his signing, Barkley said: "Why Luton? Going from the Conference to the Premier League is a great story and for me personally to be back in the Premier League, it's great motivation.

"I'm still relatively young and over the last couple of years I've not played as much as I'd have liked, but I've reserved a lot of energy and looked after myself, so it's great to be here now as I've got a lot to show but I'm ready and feeling motivated."

He showed that he still belonged at the level over the course of the following season.

Appearing 32 times, he registered nine goal involvements from midfielder as part of a Luton side that struggled for survival and ultimately dropped back down.

Watching Barkley turn out for the Hatters, he looked every bit a Premier League midfielder, controlling the tempo of the game from the centre of the pitch, spraying passes into forward areas and generally working hard for the team.

When relegation came, he wasn’t short of suitors.

Aston Villa are still benefitting from Ross Barkley revival

Sadly, as good as Barkley was, it wasn’t enough to keep the Hatters up and belts at Kenilworth Road had to be tightened accordingly.

As a signal of just how well the move had gone, a year after signing him, Luton managed to sell Barkley to Villa for a reported £5 million, a quick and relatively remarkable profit considering the midfielder was 30 at the time of the move.

He’s been a positive purchase for the Midlands club, appearing regularly in the Premier League, Champions League and domestic cup competitions, helping Unai Emery manage a packed schedule at Villa Park.

It’s doubtful Villa would have paid much attention to Barkley after his Nice spell, but Luton’s gamble showed he still had Premier League ability, and he’s now putting that to good use for Emery. The Villans must be thankful Luton took the chance.