- Harvey Barnes linked with move to Aston Villa
- Newcastle United must not sell English attacker
- Magpies’ attack already depleted after Anthony Gordon’s departure
While Anthony Gordon was Newcastle United’s most productive attacker last season, Harvey Barnes’ season went under the radar at St James’ Park.
Towards the back end of last season, the Daily Mail reported that Aston Villa are interested in signing the Englishman as they prepare to build on their squad after winning the UEFA Europa League.
Barnes is hardly the flashiest player in the squad, but he proved to Eddie Howe last season that he has more than just a role to play in his squad.
And even if the Villains offer a sizeable fee for Barnes, Newcastle United must stand their ground and retain him.
Newcastle United must not offload Harvey Barnes
Barnes notched up 16 goals last season and six of those came in the UEFA Champions League.
Since moving from Leicester City, it’s safe to say he has fared quite well on the flanks for Howe, while his versatility and pace are invaluable facets of his gameplay.
The Magpies paid a fee believed to be in the region of 40m to snap him up from the Foxes. And Barnes still has two years left on his current contract, which claims that Aston Villa are willing to offer the Magpies a similar price to what they paid to Leicester.
However, with Gordon having already gone and the likes of Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa struggling in front of goal, losing a player like Barnes could be catastrophic for Newcastle United.
They need to add more goals and creativity to their squad and not lose players who provide exactly that, especially since they have a Gordon-shaped hole to fill in attack.
Newcastle United need an attacker or two
Barnes staying at the club should be set in stone. In fact, they shouldn’t entertain any offers for him as he clearly has a lot to offer.
Earlier this week, Newcastle United were in the race for Zadok Yohanna, but the Nigerian winger opted to move to Brighton.
And now, the Magpies are in the race for Victor Munoz, with the Spaniard set to star at the 2026 FIFA World Cup for La Roja under Luis de la Fuente.
Howe needs to bring in a quality attacker or two and has a lot of time to do so. However, they shouldn’t leave it late like last season, as they scrambled to sign Woltemade and Wissa after losing Alexander Isak to Liverpool.
