In a recent interview with talkSPORT, Gabby Agbonlahor urged his former club Aston Villa to recruit Leicester City winger Harvey Barnes this summer. Agbonlahor said,
“If you get complacent in the Premier League, anyone can get relegated. Leicester have been complacent this season.
“There’s going to be an exodus of players. Maddison is going to go – Leicester would’ve expected. Harvey Barnes – I want Aston Villa to go and get him now for a cut fee.
“We’ll give you £25-£30 million, thank you very much!”
Barnes’ Tough Campaign At The King Power Stadium
Barnes has endured a difficult season at the East Midlands club as he struggled to help the Foxes avoid being relegated from the Premier League. He has sometimes been guilty of being inconsistent but has done well to score 13 goals and pick up three assists in 40 matches for Leicester during this campaign across multiple competitions.
The 25-year-old has caught the eye at times out on the flanks based on his average of 2.1 shots, 0.6 key passes and 0.8 dribbles per game in Premier League football. However, he has lacked quality when interchanging possession with his teammates in the final third, as evidenced by his pass success rate of 73.5% in the English first division (stats via whoscored).
What Will Barnes Bring To Aston Villa?
Barnes is a decent dribbler with the ball at his feet and can make some driving runs with the ball out in the wide areas. He has got the eye to play a few decisive passes in the final third and can shoot the ball with venom and precision from long range. Barnes is primarily a left-sided wide player but can also function in the number ten position if needed.
The English talent has got a knack for scoring some important goals for his team but has sometimes been guilty of being inconsistent with his offensive contributions over the past ten months.
We can expect Barnes to bring more pace and goals to Aston Villa boss Unai Emery‘s attack. He will undeniably increase competition for places within the West Midlands club‘s match-day squad. Thus, the Villans should focus on getting a deal done for Barnes as he could help them compete across all competitions in the coming seasons.
