THE question marks regarding his personality can cloud the judgement of Joey Barton as a player. For some, the negative headlines the 33-year-old has made on the front pages overshadow his ability to produce moments that earn him rave reviews on the back.
Joe Jordan has no fears over Barton’s character or his ability, though. If Mark Warburton can get the best out of him, it could prove to be his finest signing of the summer at Ibrox.
With a Championship medal in his pocket and the offer of a new contract on the table at Turf Moor, it looked like Barton would remain with Burnley for a crack at the Premier League next term. But it is Scotland’s top flight he could be gracing in the coming months if Gers boss Warburton can get a deal over the line to bring the former Manchester City, Newcastle United and Queens Park Rangers star north of the border.
Jordan worked with Barton during his time at Loftus Road under Harry Redknapp and has watched on this season as the midfielder has inspired the Clarets to the Championship crown. Life in the Glasgow goldfish bowl will be a new experience for Barton but it is one he has been backed to handle if he chooses to join Warburton’s squad this summer.
“I can’t comment on him from over his career because I only worked with him at QPR, but his performances this season with Burnley have been very good,” Jordan told Herald Sport. “He was in the Championship Team of the Year and, along with Andre Gray, was one of the reasons they showed that consistency in getting results. His performances have been very good and that is the only way to prove that you are worthy of getting contracts wherever. His current form has been good, it has been good all season.
“He was not a problem [at QPR]. All I can say is what is there to see. In my time at QPR, we never had a problem with Joey Barton and he played regularly in the team. We didn’t have any problem with him whatsoever.
“Following that, he has gone to Burnley and I am sure if you spoke to Burnley and the people that have worked there alongside him they will verify what I have said. From what I have seen this season looking at him, and having watched a couple of games live, he has had a very good season. He has played very well and played consistently well.”
While Barton is well known on both sides of the border, another Rangers target is currently playing further afield. If Barton will add a steel to the Light Blues’ midfield, Niko Kranjcar could provide a touch of magic in the final third.
The playmaker is currently on the books of New York Cosmos but Warburton has made a pitch to bring him back across the Atlantic in the coming weeks. Kranjcar is a player that Jordan knows well having worked with him three times during his spells in England, and one that has the ability to make a real impact at Ibrox next term.
“Niko is a little bit different to Joey in the respect that I have worked with him throughout his career and know him a bit better,” Jordan said. “I worked with Niko at Portsmouth, at Spurs and also at QPR. Harry Redknapp brought him to those three clubs so I have known him for the best part of ten years, whereas Joey I am talking about him last year at Burnley and at QPR.
“Niko is a terrific player and he has proved that throughout his career. He has played for Croatia at the World Cup, he has played in big games at many clubs and was always excellent with me. We had a very good team at Spurs and we took him to QPR. He is a very talented lad, without any shadow of a doubt, and he is a good lad. He would have no problem whatsoever if he decided to go and play in Scotland. He isn’t as old as Joey and both of them are at an age where they have still got loads of ability and can still contribute in football.”
At 33 and 31 respectively, the potential deals for Barton and Kranjcar represent a change in approach from Warburton in the transfer market. Having spent his first two windows recruiting players with potential, he is now looking for experience to add a resolve, plus strength and depth, to a squad that eased over the Championship winning line this season.
“If they can keep themselves fit, I think those two players are very good players,” Jordan said. “They are not players in their thirties and shouldn’t be looked upon. They are two that are in their thirties that have got great experience and the ability to continue their careers. They are not too old, they are very good players.”
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