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Chelsea and Aston Villa have agreed to defer any discussions about making Ross Barkley’s loan into a permanent deal until the end of the season.
The 27-year old England international joined the Midlands’ club on loan for the season and has impressed, although he missed two months with a hamstring injury.
He returned though for the trip to Southampton in the Premier League at the weekend and made an immediate contribution heading in the winner.
Much may depend on what new Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel decides to do. The German boss has promised to give everybody at the club a chance, and proved it by giving a start to players like Marcos Alonso in the win over Burnley.
On the other hand, he has a big squad and will want to put his own imprint on it as well. Barkley will have two years left on his current contract at Stamford Bridge at the end of the season.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.