Former England fly-half Olly Barkley leaving Bath for Racing Metro with a heavy heart He will do that in his own distinctive way. Ask Barkley where he will be living and he replies: "Mate, I don't know, somewhere to the west of Paris. I arrive at Charles de Gaulle on Monday with a couple of bags, I'll turn up for training Tuesday and that's it. You normally get four or five months to process the thought of a move. This has been in-your-face, no time to think. It's exciting, nerve-racking and surreal. Barkley leaves Bath with "a heavy heart" after the surprising developments of 10 days ago. In situations like these, when a home-grown player ups sticks abruptly just a few weeks into a season, he is invariably castigated for selling out. Not in Barkley's case. People understand. Of course he has gone for the money. French sources believe that the initial 'medical joker" deal as a replacement for three injured or absentee flyhalves with a probable two-year option will be worth around €1 million (£800,000). At the age of 30, Barkley has a life-thereafter to consider. "To most people, the deal would have been a no-brainer on paper, but for me, it wasn't," said Barkley. I didn't want to let people down here. I believe there's something special building at Bath, too. Yet it was my mum who gave me the best advice when she told me that there comes an age when things don't go to plan, when you have to be flexible. The whole thing was thrashed out within 72 hours, from offer made to deal struck. Last Sunday, Barkley flew to Paris to meet his new team-mates. In a fortnight's time he could be running out in front of 80,000 at the Stade de France as Racing Metro open their Heineken Cup campaign against two-time champions, Munster. "It's going to be helter-skelter," said Barkley, soon to be another of the growing clan of Englishmen in the Top 14. It's an offer I couldn't resist. In fact, if for some reason it doesn't work out with Racing, then I'll look to stay in France anyway. Balsh (former Bath team-mate Iain Balshaw) considers himself French now after three years at Biarritz and everyone I've spoken to had only good things to say about playing in France. Barkley has always been one of the game's more intriguing characters. He is lively, engaging, occasionally scatty and dangerous but far more earnest than he is given credit for. He is looking forward, for example, to improving his cooking in France. Barkley has had his off-field scrapes but he is a serious item on the pitch. Yet he leaves not just Bath behind him but an England career, too. Barkley has not featured for four years. He won the last of his 23 caps on the stricken-tour to New Zealand in 2008. Given that Clive Woodward gave him his debut as a 19 year-old in 2001, his England stats have a forlorn feel about them, an air of potential wasted. Does he feel unfulfilled? "Yeah, a little bit, not so much that I lose sleep over it, but yeah, a bit," said Barkley. I couldn't have tried harder but I didn't always go as well with England as I could have done. If I had, I'd have stayed in the team. Honest as ever, no attempt to varnish uncomfortable truths, Barkley will only let his mind turn to what lies ahead when the final whistle has sounded this afternoon. He will deserve his bow, that is for sure.