Harvey Barnes and Anthony Gordon conundrum needing to be solved | OneFootball

Harvey Barnes stood out when Eddie Howe signed him in July 2023 for a reported £38m.

The winger aged 25 at the time and a bit of a departure from the usual transfer approach, which had seen Newcastle United sign only players aged 23 and under, following the initial relegation fighting January 2022 transfer window.

However, no wonder Eddie Howe still wanted Harvey Barnes despite his ‘age’.

In the last four seasons with Leicester, Barnes averaging 14+ direct goal involvements per season in the Premier League.

A quite remarkable 57 direct goal involvements (scoring 34 and 23 assists) in his final four seasons with the Foxes in 102 Premier League starts (plus 25 appearances off the bench).

As is his usual approach with many new signings, Eddie Howe had Harvey Barnes on the bench when the season kicked off.

However, after having been introduced for Anthony Gordon on 68 minutes with United leading 3-1, Newcastle fans very quickly saw why Eddie Howe had taken advantage of Leicester’s relegation. Harvey Barnes instantly looking a real goal threat and in just those 20 or so minutes at St James’ Park, he set up Callum Wilson to make it 4-1 and then a cool finish to get his own first goal for NUFC, on debut.

What could possibly go wrong?

Well before his season ever got properly going, Harvey Barnes suffered a freak toe injury in September, with the score still goalless at Bramall Lane, Anthony Gordon off the bench to replace Barnes on 12 minutes. The rest is history. Newcastle United going on to rack up a startling 8-0 win that day, whilst Harvey Barnes faced months of misery at his new club, a long journey back to full fitness from a rare and very tricky to deal with injury.

Some Newcastle United fans and indeed journalists then called into question the Harvey Barnes signing. Why sign him when other positions needed strengthening etc and plenty cover in that position and so on.

Well, this season has shown that really, you can’t have too many quality attacking players who can create and score goals. What say if Harvey Barnes hadn’t been signed, the money spent on another position and then say Anthony Gordon proving to be one of the numerous NUFC players to miss so much of this season?

In those early stages, Eddie Howe did start off with Harvey Barnes for Anthony Gordon as a regular substitution, like for like, right footed winger on the left replacing the same.

However, it was interesting that when Howe did give Barnes his first Premier League start, the team lined up with Wilson through the middle, Barnes on the left and Gordon on the right. This was against Brentford at home in September 2023, the week before Sheffield United away. Newcastle played well and created plenty of chances but couldn’t get the goal(s), then just after the hour mark, Harvey Barnes crossing from the left and when Anthony Gordon met that cross he was fouled, a penalty to Newcastle and Wilson scored what proved to be the winning goal.

As often happens with long-term injured, when he came back to action, Harvey Barnes has experienced other less major injury issues that have prevented him getting a proper run of games.

Despite that though, in only 494 minutes of Premier League action this season, Harvey Barnes has six direct goal involvements, scoring four and two assists. An average of a PL direct goal involvement every 82 minutes. Yes, just imagine if he had stayed fit and available this season…

The thing is as well, we have already seen that Harvey Barnes is a class player who simply makes things happen, creates a threat to the opposition goal. No wonder the Leicester fans were so gutted to lose him.

As we have also seen, Harvey Barnes doesn’t just do tap ins.

That astonishing left footed long range effort that salvaged the draw against Luton, then the run behind the defence and cool finish against West Ham from Isak’s wonderful through ball, before that stunning winner against the Hammers.

What. A. Goal.

That was followed up by his clever ball to set Isak away for the class goal against Everton last Tuesday.

Then with 25 minutes remaining on Saturday, Gordon moved to the right as Murphy was replaced by Barnes, who went to his usual left position.

Suddenly, far more threat from both sides of the pitch and after the poor decision by match officials to rule out Schar’s ‘goal’ after a gorgeous cross from Gordon on the right (that followed a corner that had been won when Barnes’ brilliant cross from the left was somehow diverted by a defender with Isak waiting for a tap in).

It was then Newcastle straight back at Fulham and when yet another dangerous Harvey Barnes ball caused further havoc in the penalty area, it was only cleared as far as Bruno who smashed home that winner.

No assist credited to Barnes BUT it was he who created the opportunity.

So the conundrum is of course, how to fit both Anthony Gordon and Harvey Barnes into the same Newcastle United team?

In an ideal world, they both would clearly prefer to play that left side position.

However, equally clearly, Eddie Howe now surely needs to find them both a place in the team, if fully fit.

No disrespect, but you simply can’t have the likes of Murphy on the pitch with Barnes (or Gordon – currently sitting on 15 PL direct goal involvements this season, scoring nine and six assists) sitting on the bench.

Gordon on the right seems the obvious route, at least for now, as I think he has shown already his versatility, such as on Saturday, when playing on the right. Indeed, we may even see what could be possible, with a quality right footed winger playing on the right, with the likes of Isak potentially getting a very valuable new regular line of supply.

Bottom line though, maybe even when everybody is fit, then when looking at a first choice eleven for next season, Eddie Howe will need to think where he will play Anthony Gordon AND Harvey Barnes in his team.