Harvey Barnes’ call-up to the England squad in October may have raised a few eyebrows but no-one in West Bromwich would have greeted the news with the slightest hint of surprise.
After all, Baggies fans were given a sneak peek of the Leicester City winger’s dazzling potential during a loan spell at the Hawthorns in 2018/19. And it was crystal clear from day one that Barnes wouldn’t be playing Championship football for long.
In fact, the Burnley-born bullet made such an impression during his time at West Brom that, when the January window opened, Leicester wasted no time in cutting his season-long loan deal in half.
Promotion-chasing West Brom were surprised but not disappointed.
With nine goals and six assists in just 26 second-tier games, Barnes looked a cut above against the Bristol Citys, Sheffield Wednesdays and Readings of the world. It made sense Leicester would want to try him out in the league above.
Almost two years on, West Brom can be proud of the role they played in the development of one of England’s most exciting, home-grown forwards. Barnes is now a key player at a club sitting fourth in the Premier League, in contention for a place in England’s European Championship squad and, according to the Sun, a £60 million target for Manchester United.
“Harvey Barnes was outstanding tonight. He keeps on getting into areas you want him to and is a big talent,” Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers told the BBC after the recent 4-2 win over Burnley.
“He has wonderful ability, great running power, lasts the whole game, takes you up the pitch from deep possession and is improving all the time.”
The Sun claims Barnes has been lined up by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as a possible alternative to Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho.
But while Barnes’ rise to prominence may have taken some by surprise, West Brom knew as far back as 2018 they were seeing someone special.
There’s a reason they worked so hard to convince Barnes to choose the Hawthorns over the likes of Leeds United. The Express and Star even reported the winger had picked out his shirt number at Elland Road before opting for their then-Championship rivals instead.
Leeds fans will argue, of course, that Barnes would still have torn the division apart in West Yorkshire given Marcelo Bielsa’s remarkable track record when it comes to turning budding youngsters into established stars.
And, ironically enough, a lack of speed, incision and goal threat from out wide was viewed as one of the main reasons why Leeds missed out on promotion during Bielsa’s first season with Barnes, like Danny James, slipping through the net.
However, with West Brom and Leeds now Premier League teams and Barnes driving Leicester’s Champions League charge, it has all worked out quite nicely for everyone in the end.
This is one of those stories with a happy ending.
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