Joey Barton is very much a marmite type of footballer. Regardless of his actions off the pitch, you either love him or hate him, and it’s fair to say that quite a few Burnley fans will be sad to see him leave this summer.

The former QPR and Marseille midfielder has signed a deal with newly promoted Rangers, who find themselves back in the Scottish top flight after years of exile and financial difficulties. However with that seemingly behind them, manager Mark Warburton is now trying to build a side to compete with Celtic, who have taken their dominance to a whole new level without their bitter rivals.

With Brendon Rodgers now at Celtic Park, it’s a good time for Rangers to be able to trump their biggest rivals and that will be top of the agenda for some of the long-suffering Gers supporters.

But a lot has been made of Barton’s transfer to Ibrox, and the prerogatives behind the move. After all, he was Burnley’s player of the season last year and he was a massive part of their promotion back to the Premier League. Many Clarets followers raised their eyebrows when he announced the move - after all, is a move north of the border more engaging and challenging than another season in the Premier League? Probably not.

Whether Barton may have been concerned about a lack of playing time we don't know, but the move is a little odd. Whilst Rangers are a fantastically established club with a long and rich history, it’s expected the upcoming season will be a year of transition. They will be letting go of some of the stragglers from their lower league days and it may be unlikely that they mount a serious title challenge at the first time of asking.

European football is also out of the equation after they lost the Scottish Cup final against Hibs last week, so all they have to offer Barton is the chance to play in the top tier in Scotland, which, with all due respect is a considerably lower level than that we see in England.

At 33-years-old, Barton’s playing days are far from numbered, but it’s fair to say he’s edging closer to the end of his career. One last shot at the Premier League would have been a fantastic challenge and considering Leicester City’s success this campaign, it’s truly a surprising move north. In Sean Dyche, the Clarets have an excellent manager who will equip his side in the best way possible.

Burnley will have one of the lowest wage and transfer budgets in the league and may have to rely on a large crop of players they already have, but anything is possible in this modern day Premier League.

Barton is a player that would have helped Burnley in the top-flight, too. He has vast experience of the league following his time with Newcastle and Manchester City but it seems like it just wasn’t meant to be this time.

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