The Basics
Age: 25
Club: Leicester City
Nation: England
Position: Winger (left)
Footedness: Right
Barnes has been on Leicester’s books for almost 16 years and since his debut in 2016, has made 186 total appearances for the Foxes, scoring 44 goals. He has made one appearance for England.
Before breaking into Leicester’s first team, Barnes enjoyed loan spells first with League One Milton Keynes Dons, then with Championship sides Barnsley and West Bromwich Albion.
Villa fans will be familiar with Barnes since he’s scored five goals and made four assists in his 11 games against them. His nine goal contributions versus Villa are more than any team the winger has played against.
The Links
Earlier this month, Tom Collomosse of MailOnline Sport reported Villa are “believed to be watching developments with Harvey Barnes closely”.
Miguel Delaney of The Independent then claimed Villa to be “leading the race” to sign Barnes, based on the strong financial package the club can put together and the player’s potential desire to “maintain connections” in the Midlands.
Most recently, Matt Maher of the Express & Star reported Barnes is “high on Aston Villa’s list of winger targets”.
Reports aggregated by villareport.
The Scouting Report
These notes are based on his best game of the season, according to football ratings site WhoScored: Leicester’s 4-1 win over Tottenham in February 2023.
Strengths
The trademark of Barnes’ game is his positive, forward runs in and out of possession.
With the ball at his feet, he’s looking to drive towards defenders and make them uncomfortable. Barnes understands leverage and how to take advantage of an opponent’s body position. Among Premier League attacking midfielders and wingers over the last three seasons, he ranks in the 82nd percentile for progressive carries.
He likes to play one-twos with teammates and spin behind the back line, bursting into space.
When Leicester is in build-up, Barnes hugs the left touchline and is always looking to dart behind or between defenders. He consistently makes clever runs and will vary them to keep opponents off balance.
Barnes’ knack for getting behind defences and hurting teams shows up in the data. He ranks in the 70th percentile for touches in box and the 69th for progressive passes received.
Once he’s in front of goal, Barnes makes teams pay. He’s an excellent goal scorer and makes planting the ball in the bottom corner look easy. A tally of 13 Premier League goals this season in a relegated Leicester side is impressive.
His non-penalty xG (expected goals) ranks in the 70th percentile and he has consistently outscored his xG, which means he scores more goals than the average player would be expected to from the chances he’s had. Barnes ranks in 77th percentile for non-penalty goals.
Finding space in and around the penalty area is a skill Barnes possesses; he has the desire to himself into the 12 (or 6) yard box and sniff around for opportunities to score. He doesn’t just bomb towards goal though; Barnes is intelligent and will check his run to settle in space.
Barnes has a reliable first touch and can stop the ball dead out of the air. He also shows the ability to whip inviting crosses into the penalty area, although this isn’t a huge part of his game, only attempting 1.55 crosses per 90 minutes over the last three seasons.
Defensively, Barnes pulls his weight. He is quick to close down when his team are pressing from the front and Leicester have also asked him to drop into the back line as almost a left-back when they fall into a deeper block.
While there is some debate over his specific height – different sites have him anywhere 5’9” and 6’1” – the lower end of that scale is hard to believe. He’s taller than your average winger and this is useful.
He can be relied on when defending set pieces, and goal kicks or other long balls can be aimed towards him. Barnes ranks in the 74th percentile for aerial duels won.
Weaknesses
Barnes is not an especially creative player and his passing ability leaves quite a bit to be desired. He is mostly a backwards or sideways passer and can sell his teammates short at times.
The data confirms Barnes’ lack of creativity. He ranks in the 24th percentile for passes attempted, 28th for pass completion rate, 29th for progressive passes, 33rd for xAG (expected assisted goals) and 27th for shot-creating actions.
Although he excels at carrying the ball up the pitch, Barnes doesn’t actually dribble past people. He ranks in the 35th percentile for successful take-ons. He doesn’t often try to go by defenders and will pass the ball off if faced with an obstacle.
He’s more willing than good defensively. Barnes is below average in most defensive categories compared to his positional peers. His best defensive statistic since 2020 is blocks, and he only ranks in the 50th percentile.
Fit With Villa
Barnes would be capable of playing as a true winger on the left-hand side, or as a false striker alongside Ollie Watkins, the role the likes of Emiliano Buendia and Leon Bailey have filled at different times this season.
While he would not necessarily provide an overall upgrade, he would offer something different to Buendia and Bailey in terms of his ability to get in position for, and convert, goalscoring opportunities.
Villa’s methodical build-up under Emery is designed to draw opponents on and ultimately generate space in final third, and that’s where Barnes thrives.
His market value, according to Transfermarkt, is €32m (£27.86m), although he would likely cost less now Leicester have been relegated, which would be a big part of the appeal with Barnes.
The Villa Ramble 
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