All Harvey Barnes does is… | OneFootball

Harvey Barnes started his week on the pitch well at old club Leicester City, scoring the third goal to finish the match as a contest, putting United 3-0 up.

Then more of the same on Sunday.

With the game poised at 1-1 entering the second half, two strikes from Harvey Barnes taking the game away from Man U and United ending up thrashing Ruben Amorim’s side 4-1.

Despite the Leicester City relegation at the end of the 2022/23 season, Harvey Barnes still scored 13 Premier League goals from his wing position and was top scorer for the club, 13 goals from 32 PL starts mighty impressive when you consider how poor Leicester were overall.

Back then in summer 2023, I remember most Leicester fans were quick to praise the quality of Harvey Barnes and how good he had been for the Foxes.

However, a sizeable minority were keen to claim that; “All Harvey Barnes does is…score and create goals!”

This is his Premier League record these near last six seasons, with now seven games remaining of this 2024/25 campaign.

From the start of the 2019/20 Premier League season onwards.

My only surprise is how surprised so many Newcastle United fans are, at just how good and productive Harvey Barnes is!

2019/20 Premier League (Leicester City)

14 Direct Goal involvements (6 goals and 8 assists) – 2,094 PL minutes played

A Harvey Barnes direct goal involvement once every 149 minutes

2020/21 Premier League (Leicester City)

13 Direct Goal involvements (9 goals and 4 assists) – 1,950 PL minutes played

A Harvey Barnes direct goal involvement once every 150 minutes

2021/22 Premier League (Leicester City)

16 Direct Goal involvements (6 goals and 10 assists) – 2,107 PL minutes played

A Harvey Barnes direct goal involvement once every 131 minutes

2022/23 Premier League (Leicester City)

14 Direct Goal involvements (13 goals and 1 assist) – 2,720 PL minutes played

A Harvey Barnes direct goal involvement once every 194 minutes

2023/24 Premier League (Newcastle United)

8 Direct Goal involvements (5 goals and 3 assists) – 795 PL minutes played

A Harvey Barnes direct goal involvement once every 99 minutes

2024/25 Premier League (Newcastle United)

11 Direct Goal involvements (8 goals and 3 assists) – 1,169 PL minutes played

A Harvey Barnes direct goal involvement once every 106 minutes

Total Harvey Barnes Direct Goal involvements these past near six full seasons (for Leicester and Newcastle):

76 Direct Goal involvements 47 goals and 29 assists) – 10,835PL minutes played

A Harvey Barnes direct goal involvement once every 142 Premier League minutes, from the start of the 2019/20 PL season onwards.

Harvey Barnes had had some rotten luck with injuries since joining Newcastle United, however, when he is on the pitch, he…scores and creates goals.

What we are talking about is very close to in these last six seasons, is the winger averaging two direct goal involvements every three Premier League matches.

I remember having so many arguments with other Newcastle United fans about Laurent Robert, he was also accused of ‘only’ scoring and creating goals.

They are totally different players, apart from the fact they both are/were left wingers, but they do have that talent for making and taking goals, which should be celebrated! Rather than what they maybe aren’t so good at.

Having said that, fair to say that Harvey Barnes does do more otherwise than Laurent Robert, when it comes to tracking back and so on.

However, I think with both of these talented players who have/had so many direct goal involvements, it makes me think of the countless Newcastle United players I have watched down the years, who were so rubbish when it came to that most important trait, helping their team to score goals.