The midfielder will be a superstar for Aston Villa, says Merson. Kovacic and Jorginho can't go past players like Barkley.
If Barkley succeeds at Villa, Lampard will be under even more pressure, adds Merson.
"Frank Lampard has made a mistake sending Ross Barkley out on loan because he will be a superstar for Aston Villa," Paul Merson wrote in his column for Daily Star.
"What a signing that is. I can’t quite believe it if I’m honest. How Barkley doesn’t get in the Chelsea team beats me. He is a huge talent. To let him go like this, especially to another Premier League team, is a dangerous game by Frank.
"If Barkley hits the ground running and starts ripping it up for Villa then serious questions will be asked why Lampard let him go. Chelsea have already gone out of one of the cups and they have looked hit and miss so far in the league despite spending all that money.
"They are still not defending well and Frank won’t need any extra pressure on him from Barkley tearing things up at Villa Park!
"Chelsea have loads of midfielders. But Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic can’t go past people like Ross Barkley can. I think they are missing a trick letting him go on loan. I’m shocked they’ve let it happen. But it’s a brilliant signing by Villa."
Barkley completed a season-long loan to Villa and while he is a good signing for the Midlands club, Merson is way off the mark in his analysis here.
The midfielder did not get much playing time with the Blues as he was simply not good enough to start for us most games! While his directness is a positive in Barkley's game, his inconsistencies have prevented him from being a great player here.
We do hope he finds his form at Villa and comes back here a better player, but it seems difficult for the player to ever nail down a starting spot at Stamford Bridge.
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