Wycombe Wanderers manager Gareth Ainsworth has told the club’s fans to ‘watch this space’ as Transfer Deadline Day approaches.
The summer window will officially shut at 11pm on Thursday, September 1, and the 49-year-old hinted that ‘one or two’ new players could walk through the Adams Park doors at the start of next month.
However, one of these players will NOT be former Chelsea attacking midfielder, Ross Barkley.
Havertz is coming
— Giannis, Not Antetokounmpo 🏀🇬🇭 (@manlikesarpong) August 24, 2020
Can we just ship Ross Barkley to Wycombe???
The 28-year-old had his contract terminated by mutual consent with the West London side on August 29, after playing 100 times for the club in four-and-a-half seasons.
Following his exit from the two-time Champions League winners, online rumours started to suggest that the ex-Everton youngster and Aston Villa loanee could potentially move to South Buckinghamshire.
Fifa is a beautiful game. Got Barkley to Wycombe on a free. Sold him to Porto for £32m six months later, having helped us to 3rd in the Prem
— Joe Baldwin (@joebaldwin95) July 14, 2014
This comes after former Premier League players in David Stockdale, Sam Vokes, and Garath McCleary all joined Wanderers in recent seasons.
However, Ainsworth was quick to quash these claims, but insisted that ‘his phone will be on’ during Deadline Day.
Speaking after Wanderers' Football League Trophy fixture against Tottenham Hotspur Under 21s on August 30, the boss chuckled before saying: “There is no Ross Barkley, believe me.
“We have got targets at the moment and if the right player comes at the right price, then I will definitely snap them up.
“My phone will be on and there are a couple of targets, but whether or not we get them over the line or not? I don’t know, but we have got some targets.
“Watch this space - you have got to on Deadline Day.
“But I will not pay ridiculous money for players or pay over the odds.
All set!#WYCvTHU21 pic.twitter.com/umyI0GyYfC
— Wycombe Wanderers (@wwfcofficial) August 30, 2022
“There is no chance in that and everyone knows that.
“On the flip side, I will not bring rubbish in as numbers.
READ MORE: Wycombe's oldest surviving player, 94, returns to Wanderers 76 years after his debut
“I am happy with where we are, we’ve got a few players coming back [from injury] for Saturday’s squad and I am looking forward to what we can do.”
Barkley has made 232 appearances in the top-flight, whilst also playing in the Championship for Leeds United and Sheffield Wednesday respectively between 2012 and 2013.
Ross Barkley at Leeds
— Forgotten Football Signings (@FFSignings) November 28, 2020
2012/13 season
Four games, zero goals pic.twitter.com/q3URjvRSdp
Ross Barkley at Sheffield Wednesday
— Forgotten Football Signings (@FFSignings) April 14, 2020
2012/13 season
16 games, four goals pic.twitter.com/ZJ0Sb3AZaA
He has also played 33 times for England and has scored six times.
His most recent cap came in 2019.
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