Ross Barkley was revealed as a Nice player in front of their supporters before their Ligue 1 match against Monaco last night. However, his signing did not inspire his new team to victory as they fell to a 1-0 defeat.
Nice announced on their official website ogcnice.com;
"Midfielder Ross Barkley (28) has joined OGC Nice on a free transfer after four-and-a-half years at Chelsea.A British blend of talent, technique and aggression topped off with character, the 28-year-old has decided to continue his career at Le Gym.While the summer transfer window ended last Thursday evening, his release from contract allows him to commit today with the Aiglons. Welcome Ross !"
What Will Ross Barkley Offer Nice?
Barkley is certainly a player with a point to prove as last season he made just six Premier League appearances scoring once.
Since joining Chelsea in 2018 he has failed to show the form he had whilst at Everton where in total he scored 27 goals and made 28 assists in 178 games.
He brings international experience with 33 England caps, with six goals and six assists. He has not played for the Three Lions since 2019 and is unlikely to earn a recall before the World Cup unless he goes on a phenomenal run between now and then.
Following the termination of his contract by mutual consent, he was strongly linked with a move to Southampton and Rangers, but in the end has joined the Ligue 1 outfit, Nice.
How Has Nice Fared So Far?
Despite signing former Premier League players including Aaron Ramsey, Kasper Schmeichel and Nicolas Pepe, Nice is lying in a lowly 16th place in Ligue 1 with one win, two draws and three defeats.
They have scored just four goals whilst conceding eight. Barkley being a player who can play in central midfield as well as in an attacking role will certainly be looking to improve this record.
Manager Lucien Favre who is in his second spell at the club following a spell as Borussia Dortmund manager will need to get these new players to jell quickly as expectations will be high following many big names arriving at the club.
Ross Barkley is officially unveiled as a new OGC Nice player after joining the Ligue 1 side on a free transfer 🤝 pic.twitter.com/sjpph6U3hI
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) September 4, 2022
Is moving abroad becoming the norm for British players?
There are currently quite a few British players playing abroad. We have the likes of Jude Bellingham and Callum Hudson-Odoi at Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen respectively in Germany.
In Italy, there is Chris Smalling and Tammy Abraham at Roma, Fikayo Tomori plays for AC Milan whilst Ethan Ampadu has recently joined Spezia.
Now in France, we have Ramsey and Barkley playing for the same team in Nice. Some of these players are at different stages of their careers but often in the case of the Chelsea players leaving or being loaned out have gone to get first-team football that they would not get at Stamford Bridge.
As well as playing regularly, the experience on and off the field of playing in a different county will be a fantastic one for these players.
It is one which we will probably see more British players doing, with more players being brave enough to go abroad, especially if they prove to be a success and earn recalls to their national teams and get their careers back on track.