Everton fans have been drowning their sorrows in the Transfer Tavern this week after seeing their side suffer another Premier League defeat at the weekend.

Ronald Koeman’s men went into their clash with Sean Dyche’s Burnley on Sunday having won just two of their six league games, and they were unable to add another win to their tally as Jeff Hendrick’s first half strike was enough to secure the Clarets a deserved 1-0 win at Goodison Park.

And that has increased the pressure on under-fire boss Koeman as well, what with the manner of the performance as well as the result called into question, and with the Toffees languishing in 16th in the Premier League table, their pre-season optimism has somewhat subsided.

And although things on the pitch are occupying many of the headlines surrounding Everton, there is one particular transfer story off it that has resurfaced in recent days, namely that of the future of midfielder Ross Barkley.

The 23-year-old has missed the entirety of this season so far due to injury, this all after a summer of speculation in which he didn’t sign a new deal with the Toffees, and reportedly turned down a move to champions Chelsea.

However, the Blues and Tottenham are reportedly looking to reignite their interest in the England international in the New Year, but here are THREE reasons why the midfielder should remain at his boyhood club…

They are missing his spark

It has been a woeful start to the season for Everton, who have so far failed to live up to pre-season expectations.

Summer signings Davy Klaassen and Gylfi Sigurdsson have failed to inject that spark they need in the final third, while the club’s inability to adequately replace striker Romelu Lukaku is beginning to backfire.

However, someone like Barkley could go into that Toffees side and give them that spark they have been missing.

The game against Burnley was crying out for someone like him to go on a mazy run forward and get at the Clarets backline, instead it was all too pedestrian and easy to defend against.

He’s not going to help their striking crisis, but he may be able to inject the energy that has been missing so far, and thus could be a huge asset to Koeman going forward.

What if Koeman is sacked?

There is a very real chance that manager Koeman could be out of a job before long, and were that scenario to unfold, it would be interesting to see what that means for Barkley.

There has been a strained relationship between the two of them ever since the Dutchman took over back in 2016, so you wonder whether Barkley would indeed pen a new deal if Koeman were to go, and a new manager come in and back him.

It’s difficult to know from the outside looking in, yet you get the sense that the relationship between Koeman and Barkley has been deteriorating for some time – could a new man come in and convince him to sign a new deal?

Best club for him

When you look at the Premier League, the top six are streets ahead of everyone else, and then you have Everton, who last season were comfortably the best of the rest.

And when you look at the respective squads of the top six sides, you wonder whether Barkley would actually get into their starting elevens on a regular basis. The answer is probably no.

And that is why the 23-year-old should stay at Goodison Park, as there’s little doubt that a fully fit and firing Barkley plays week in, week out at the club, whereas that simply cannot be guaranteed at those above Everton in the league.

And if he harbours ambitions of playing regularly for England, staying and playing at Everton is surely the way forward.

At 23, the midfielder is entering a crucial stage of his career, and needs regular football at a good club to go on and fulfil his potential, both at club level and international level.

And his boyhood club appears to be the way to go.