Ross Barkley reveals why he chose to join Chelsea amid interest from other clubs
New Chelsea signing Ross Barkley says he has moved to Stamford Bridge to compete for trophies and try to improve as a player under the watch of Antonio Conte.
The England international, who has been sidelined with a hamstring injury since the start of the season, completed a £15m move from Everton to Chelsea on Friday.
He had previously been chased by the likes of Arsenal and Tottenham, with Spurs reportedly even ready to match Chelsea’s transfer offer and wage package.
But Barkley was attracted to Chelsea by the lure of playing with their roster of great players and is confident it is the perfect place to continue his development.
He told Chelsea TV: ‘I came to Chelsea, I’m ambitious and I’m wanting to further my career by winning things and playing with the best players.
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‘Obviously it was a big decision of mine to leave my boyhood club but I felt this was the right decision to come to a massive club like Chelsea and improve myself and challenge for trophies.’
He continued: ‘It’s a big decision. I’ve had to think about it properly.
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‘I felt like this is the right thing for me to improve as a player and challenge myself and come out of my comfort zone, come down to London and play for a massive club like Chelsea and try and achieve great things.’
Barkley, who only had six months to run on his Everton contract and would have been available for nothing in the summer, will wear the No.8 shirt famously worn by Chelsea legend Frank Lampard.
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