Newcastle United invested heavily in the playing squad last summer, looking to build on the club's success of qualifying for the Champions League during the 2022/23 campaign.
The Magpies finished fourth in the Premier League, receiving automatic qualification to the group stages for the current season, with the club splashing over £125m on new players to improve the squad and add depth to Eddie Howe's side.
Players such as Tino Livramento and Sandro Tonali both arrived at St James' Park, with the latter failing to make any impact on the side after receiving a ten-month ban for breaking gambling rules during his time at AC Milan.
However, during the same window, the club – backed by the Saudi PIF – also forked out a hefty fee on another player, with the expectation he would be able to complete Howe's attack alongside Anthony Gordon and Alexander Isak.
Nearly a year on from his arrival on Tyneside, the forward has struggled to maintain his fitness, with his market value taking a hit as a result.
Harvey Barnes' stats in 2023/24
After joining the club for a reported £38m from relegated side Leicester City, winger Harvey Barnes had a lot of potential to be Howe's missing piece in his attacking puzzle, but so far, he's yet to demonstrate it on a consistent basis.
The 26-year-old has only managed four goals and three assists in 19 matches across all competitions this campaign, in a year that has been plagued with injury setbacks.
Barnes has missed 31 games across all competitions since his move to Tyneside, preventing the attacker from making a huge stamp on his first 12 months at the club – with the former Leicester man unable to put any sort of consistent run together under Howe.
Hamstring
28
4
Foot
130
27
This season alone, the longest run he's gone in the team without injury is six matches, a disappointing return considering the hefty fee the club paid for his signature last summer.
He's shown glimpses of his quality in certain matches, including in the stunning 4-3 comeback victory against West Ham United at the end of March, scoring twice off the substitutes bench.
However, unfortunately for the Magpies supporters, they've failed to see his talent on a regular basis, with the attacker's market value dropping significantly as a result of his frequent absences with injuries.
Harvey Barnes' market value in 2024
Less than a year after joining the Magpies, Barnes now only has a market value of £12.8m, as per Football Observatory, a figure that is £13m less than teammate and academy graduate, Sean Longstaff, who's currently valued at £25m – after costing the club nothing.
Whilst the winger's value may seem harsh given his injury issues, the club have been shortchanged by the deal with the Foxes, with the attacker yet to demonstrate exactly why the club decided to fork out such a huge fee for him.
He's undoubtedly a talented player, who has the ability to be a real nuisance in the attacking third of the pitch – having registered 77 goals and assists in 187 games for his prior employers. However, he needs to be more reliable with his fitness if he is to be a success at St James' Park.
With the 2023/24 season coming to a close, the club needs to make sure they can rely on Barnes for next season, to prevent the club from investing more money on another forward – something they may find tricky given their recent FFP worries.
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