Gareth Barry has revealed that the prospect of a new challenge was what convinced him to join West Brom. The veteran opted to join the Baggies despite being offered a new contract by Everton.
Given that the Toffees have spent heavily this summer on bolstering their side, it would have been hard to see the 36-year-old Barry playing on a regular basis for the Merseyside club. He would likely have been a squad rotation player and spent most of his time on the bench.
He will now however, likely gain more game time at his new club and be required to serve as a mentor to other players within the squad.
The former England international Barry has said of the move, “I was happy at Everton and prepared to do my last year which included playing in European football this season.
“I was told by the club that there was interest from a couple of Premier League teams which got me thinking a bit. I had some great conversations with (Everton manager) Ronald Koeman. He is a very honest manager and we discussed everything at length and he wanted to keep me around.
“Did I want to stay at Everton? Which was very comfortable for me – but I realised I wasn’t going to be first choice as they were signing a lot of players. Was I ready for another challenge? So that’s where my head was.
“I heard of West Brom’s interest, thought long and hard about it and realised that was what I wanted. I am not the sort of player to sit back and be comfortable. I was really ready for this new challenge.”
