Joey Barton is back in the EPL with the 34 year old agreeing terms until the end of the season with one of his ex-clubs Burnley.
The controversial Barton spent one season at Championship level with Burnley in the 2015-16 season in which he made 38 appearances. It was a successful spell as the Clarets clinched Premier League promotion.
Barton’s good form that season was rewarded with selection in the PFA Championship team of the year but surprisingly he chose to reject a 2-year contract offer from Burnley and departed for Scotland to join Rangers.
His time at Rangers can best be described as a disaster with the veteran making headlines for all the wrong reasons.
There was a training ground bust-up with teammate Andy Halliday after the Rangers had suffered a 5-1 defeat to rivals Celtic, along with the Scottish Football Association investigating Barton for alleged breaches of gambling rules.
After only making eight appearances for Rangers the midfielder departed after it was mutually agreed to terminate his contract with immediate effect.
Burnley announced the signing of the midfielder earlier this week and the former Rangers man completed 90 minutes for Burnley’s development squad Tuesday in a match against Fleetwood town. He will be available for selection for the FA cup tie this Saturday against Sunderland.
Certainly the signing can be viewed as a risky one. Cynics will point to not only past indiscretions at Rangers, QPR and Manchester City but Barton still faces the risk of further suspension with investigations still ongoing into further alleged bets he reportedly placed on matches over a 10-year period.
Burnley currently occupies 12th position on the table and avoiding relegation will be considered a successful campaign. Manager Sean Dyche has a very good relationship with Barton and believes his experience and familiarity with many of the current squad will be invaluable in the second half of the season.
Is the 34-year-old still capable of playing a valuable role in the top flight?
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