Everton didn't want to make a move for one specific player this summer because Sean Dyche didn't want him, according to journalist Paul Brown.

Where is Ross Barkley playing now?

Ross Barkley burst onto the scene at Goodison Park as a hugely exciting prospect, with some even tipping him to enjoy a similar career trajectory to Wayne Rooney. He looked like a special young talent as a teenager, already possessing good physical attributes, as well as a fearlessness in possession.

While the 29-year-old enjoyed plenty of good moments in an Everton shirt, registering 55 goal contributions (27 goals and 28 assists) in 179 appearances, he ultimately didn't hit the heights many expected and joined Chelsea in 2018. Since then, his career has nosedived, with his reputation diminishing by the year, following a loan spell at Aston Villa that started well and dropped off, and a season at Nice last term.

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Now, Barkley has sealed a summer move to Premier League newcomers Luton Town, in a transfer that will hopefully revitalise him, following such a noticeable dropoff since leaving the Blues. A return to Merseyside was mooted, but it never came to fruition.

Why didn't Everton re-sign Ross Barkley?

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Brown claimed that a return to Goodison for Barkley never looked on the cards, with Dyche not seeing him as a good option to bring in:

"If he came back and had a bad game, I think the fans would be right on his back. He would have had a pretty rough ride from them. But the problem was that I just don't think Sean Dyche wanted Ross Barkley. I don't think he's the sort of player that Sean Dyche wants in his team and, for that reason, I never could really see this one happening."

Ultimately, any big decision regarding a new signing should end with the manager, so if Dyche never wanted Barkley, it was a transfer that wasn't even worth persevering with.

As Brown alludes to, it wouldn't have taken much for the Englishman to have started receiving criticism from supporters if he didn't hit the ground running, which could have spread a negative vibe throughout the club.

There is no doubting Barkley's ability as a footballer, with six goals and 33 caps coming his way for England down the years, but there is also no question that he hasn't reached his potential, with injuries not helping and a lack of a killer mindset arguably holding him back compared to others, in terms of professionalism.

It will be interesting to see how he fares in a Luton shirt, in what could ultimately be his last crack at staying put in the Premier League – he does turn 30 later this year, after all – but it would be a surprise if he came close to matching those early Everton performances, and the club are unlikely to regret sealing a reunion with him this summer.

Dyche has his own type of player that he wants to bring in before the end of the window, and Barkley is very different to that, in terms of work etic and defensive nous.