Harvey Barnes: How could Newcastle line up in ’23/04 with ex-Leicester star

The Harvey Barnes transfer has come as a bit of a shock to some fans of the Foxes. However, with Leicester City getting relegated to the Championship, there was an element of inevitability that some of the big names in the squad would leave.

Therefore, it’s not an enormous surprise to see that Harvey Barnes has been snapped up by a club that is locked and loaded for Champions League football next season. Of course, I am referencing his new club, Newcastle United here.

In case you haven’t seen the latest, Barnes has joined the Magpies for a fee of £38 million. This is the second largest sum of money that Newcastle has paid out to complete a deal this summer, with Sandro Tonali topping the list. Anyway, putting transfer news and fees aside, there is a more critical issue to address here. And that issue is exactly what Harvey Barnes will bring to the table for Newcastle for the upcoming season.

Well, let’s take a closer look. 

Three great Harvey Barnes benefits

Barnes joins a pretty solid attacking lineup at Newcastle, and I’m not overly certain that he will be in the starting 11 each game, to begin with. After all, Newcastle already has wingers such as Anthony Gordon, Miguel Almiron, Allan Saint-Maximin, and Jacob Murphy in their ranks. However, Barnes racked up more goals than any of these guys in the 22/23 season. In fact, he was only 5 goals away from Newcastle’s top-scoring forward, Callum Wilson. 

So this alone shows that he could well be a pivotal player for Newcastle this season, and he has certain traits that the Magpies need if they are to push for the title.

Speed Down the Wing

Starting with one of Barnes’ top attributes, his speed, and acceleration down the wings are undoubtedly some of his best strengths. He demonstrated what his injection of pace can do to defenders on numerous occasions for Leicester City. And this allows him to get in behind the defense to either go for goal himself or create a better opportunity for someone else.

A Winger Than Can Impact With Goals

Harvey Barnes
Photo by Icon Sport

Of course, having great speed in any individual is a positive thing for a Premier League team. Yet if you can combine this with a winger that is also able to hit the back of the net on a frequent basis, this is the dream combination. On that note, as I’ve referenced earlier, Barnes would have been Newcastle’s 2nd highest scorer last season, if he’d played for them, of course. 

He racked up 13 goals compared to Callum Wilson’s 18, and he managed to do that while playing for an underachieving Leicester City side. So imagine what he could do with the right group around him.

Moments of Magic in Big Games

Because of his dribbling abilities, speed, and his ambition to go for goal when given the opportunity, he is a guy that can produce magic at times. Naturally, Newcastle didn’t always need ‘magic’ last season to win games. However, this is never going to be viewed as a negative thing. For example, people tend to forget that Barnes earned himself a Goal of the Month award back in the 2019 season. This came through an incredible volley against Sheffield United. 

And while that stands out, he has produced other prestigious goals for Leicester City that kept them bidding for Premier League football, with many coming from solo efforts.

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