View: Emile Heskey spot on with claim about ‘outstanding’ player who left West Brom this year
Harvey Barnes only spent a matter of months at West Brom but the 21-year-old is without doubt one of the most exciting players that has blessed The Hawthorns this decade.
Barnes scored nine goals and supplied eight assists in 28 appearances across all competitions for the Baggies after joining them on loan from Leicester City last summer.
Unfortunately, he was recalled by desperate Leicester boss Claude Puel in January as the Frenchman aimed to relieve pressure on himself and avoid the sack.
Puel lost his job at the King Power just a matter of weeks after Barnes’ return and West Brom saw their promotion bid derailed once the England Under-21 international left.
It was a huge blow for West Brom and ex-Leicester forward Emile Heskey has pointed out just how much it affected the Baggies’ season.
“He went on loan at West Brom and he was outstanding to the point where West Brom started to dip after he was recalled,” said Heskey on Sky Sports Main Event on Sunday [04:13pm].
“And now, he’s having his chance in this team where he’s actually doing very, very well and a really good outlet with the pace that he’s got.”
It would be fair to say that Barnes has only gone from strength to strength since Leicester recalled him.
Not long after Puel was sacked, Brendan Rodgers was appointed as the Foxes’ manager and the Northern Irishman has managed to get the best out of the dazzling winger since.
As for West Brom, Barnes’ exit had a massive impact.
Barnes’ final Championship appearance for the Baggies was in their 2-1 defeat to Blackburn on New Years Day.
In the 10 league matches that followed, Albion won just four times and Darren Moore was sacked after a 1-1 draw against Ipswich – who went on to get relegated – at The Hawthorns.
Leicester’s decision to recall Barnes was a huge blow for West Brom and signing the likes of Jacob Murphy and Jefferson Montero on loan in January in a bid to replace the Leicester ace proved to be huge mistakes.
Luckily, Albion are now on course to return to the Premier League this season under Slaven Bilic and Barnes’ exit in January is started to become more and more of a distant memory.
In other West Brom news, this summer signing can feel hard done by this week.