Why Ross Barkley Is the 1 Everton Player Manchester City Would Love to Sign

Manchester City take on Everton this weekend in a bid to extend their winning run at the start of the Premier League season to three straight games. The brilliance they have shown in their opening two matches, where they took apart both West Bromwich Albion and Chelsea, has seen them race to an early lead and become favourites for the title.

City are, in fact, on an eight-match winning run, if you go back to the end of last season where they finished the campaign with six wins on the bounce to secure second place in the table. A win at Goodison Park on Sunday would see them edge towards a club-record 10 league wins in succession.

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City's record sequence of league wins stands at 9 from 8/4/1912 to 28/9/12 and City are currently on 8 consecutive victories.

— Gary James (@GaryJamesWriter) August 22, 2015"

Lining up for the Toffees will be John Stones, the young England centre-back making a big impression after a season of clear improvement. Stones is seen as a long-term England regular, and Chelsea are thought to be very interested in signing him, according to Michael Whalley writing in the Telegraph. 

He would likely have interested City, too, but the fee is inflated due to his homegrown status, and the arrival of Nicolas Otamendi means Manuel Pellegrini now has plenty of options at centre-half.

So which Everton player would City benefit from the most?

Ross Barkley would surely top the list. The England midfielder may have had a difficult 2014/15 season, but in terms of technical quality and scope for improvement, he is one of the finest prospects in English football.

Tony McArdle - Everton FC/Getty Images

He’s already scored twice this season—goals that display his ability and confidence. This is a player prepared to try something different, to take a risk on the field that few others are capable of. Whether it’s a drop of the shoulder to take a player on or an audacious effort from distance, Barkley wants to impact games. The kind of bravery he displays is a rare commodity.

It doesn’t always work. He can frustrate and lose possession needlessly. He can sometimes drift in and out of matches, spending too long on the periphery and contributing little. But the fact is there are very few 21-year-olds with his level of talent and ability.

In his side’s 3-0 win over Southampton at St. Mary’s last weekend, Barkley was superb, laying on one of Romelu Lukaku’s goals and playing a part in another before adding a brilliant strike of his own. After the match, Everton manager Roberto Martinez described him as "quite unique." Having seen his display, few could argue with the Spaniard’s enthusiastic appraisal.

It’s Barkley’s desire to create that is most enticing. Angles don't matter much, nor do defenders lining up to take the ball from him. He backs himself to produce something outrageous—something unexpected that few can see coming. It’s a thrill to watch him when he’s at his influential best.

In fact, his goal against City towards the end of their title-winning 2013/14 season sums Barkley up. A moment of exquisite skill; something from nothing to light up the game and spark his side into life. Few players have the nerve to try such things on a football pitch, let alone execute them.

Talent alone is nothing without hard work and discipline. Barkley, though, appears to be improving. It’s a sign that he is a player prepared to listen to advice and tactical instructions and integrate them into his game.

If he continues to improve, the £50 million City were quoted last summer, according to Simon Mullock at the Mirror, may seem a snip. For a while last season, he appeared to be drifting aimlessly, but his talent is clear, and it seems little is going to stop him making a sizeable impact on English football over the course of his career. 

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and follows the club from a Manchester base. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter: @RobPollard.