Leicester City Opinion: Harvey Barnes could go on to have a big future at the King Power Stadium
According to BBC, Leicester City attacker Harvey Barnes has signed a new five-year deal with the Foxes, which should see him extend his stay at the King Power Stadium until 2024.
The 21-year-old put pen to paper on fresh terms after enjoying a consistent run in the first-team towards the end of the previous campaign, with the youngster describing his decision to commit his future to his boyhood club as simply a “no-brainer”. (h/t BBC)
Barnes was initially sent out on loan to West Brom in the Championship last summer in order to gain more first-team experience but he was recalled midway through the campaign following a scintillating run of form in the first half of the season.
An ever-present for the Baggies in the second-tier, the 21-year-old racked up an impressive 9 goals and 6 assists in 26 league appearances before the Foxes finally decided that he was ready to play a significant role in their first team in the Premier League.
Following his return to his parent club, Barnes contributed with a goal and 2 assists in 16 Premier League appearances for the Foxes and finished the season on a high, with his electric performances down the left-hand side of the pitch earning him rave reviews from fans and pundits alike.
The 21-year-old not only reminded the fans that he is an incredibly talented player but he also proved with his promising displays that he is, indeed, ready to play regularly in the Premier League and make a big impression. New manager Brendan Rodgers showed a lot of faith in Barnes’ abilities and one would expect the highly-rated academy graduate to play a more significant role for the Foxes next term.
A youth product of Leicester City, Barnes made his senior competitive debut for the Foxes as a second-half substitute in a 5-0 defeat to Porto in the 2016-17 UEFA Champions League. He largely featured for the U-23 side in Premier League 2 that season before going out on loan to MK Dons in League One. Following a fruitful loan spell in the third-tier, Barnes excelled on loan at Barnsley in the Championship in the 2017-18 season before eventually establishing himself as a first-team regular in the 2018-19 campaign.
To put things into perspective, it is easy to see why Leicester City have struck gold by securing the long-term future of Harvey Barnes, given that he is regarded as an incredibly talented individual with a mountain of potential. The 21-year-old is undoubtedly one of the brightest prospects to have come through the club’s youth ranks in recent years and the Foxes have every reason to expect big things for him in the years to come.
Still very much in the developmental phase of his career, Barnes is not the finished article by any means but he has already carved out a reputation for himself with his lightning pace, direct and fearless style of play, terrific acceleration, eye for key passes and wonderful dribbling skills. His propensity for cutting inside from the flanks and creating chances in the final third has earned him plenty of plaudits and he seemingly has a big future lying ahead of him at Leicester.
Barnes is likely to attract a lot of big clubs in the future and his long-term contract at Leicester would put the club in a strong negotiating position with any potential suitor, which in turn, would enable the Foxes to pocket a massive amount of cash from his sale.
However, the 21-year-old is an integral part of the club’s strong core of young homegrown talents alongside the likes of James Maddison, Demarai Gray, Hamza Choudhury and Ben Chilwell and it is absolutely crucial for the Foxes to try and keep hold of him for as long as possible.
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If Leicester are really serious about challenging for a European spot under Rodgers next season, they would need to keep hold of all the aforementioned players. To conclude, Barnes, who is one of the Foxes’ own, has the potential to evolve into a Premier League stalwart in the years to come, and the club has taken a certainly taken a step in the right direction by securing his long-term future.
