Newcastle United have not started the 2024/25 campaign with the driven verve that the fans would have wanted – or that Eddie Howe would have wanted, for that matter.
But there’s not quite just cause for concern, not yet. Howe has cultivated a rich squad of talent on Tyneside, and what he now needs is one of his players to step up like a talismanic beacon of hope.
Sometimes, one player’s brilliance can be enough to guide a team away from the mire, and indeed, if the Magpies want to fly high this season, they might need one of their superstars to emulate, in some fashion, the exploits of Cole Palmer at Chelsea.
Cole Palmer has been Chelsea's hero
Palmer has been a revelation at Stamford Bridge. Still only 22, the England international has enjoyed one of the most emphatic starts to the major stage in far-stretching memory.
Chelsea were nothing special under Mauricio Pochettino’s leadership last year, but still managed to resurrect their fortunes, almost wholly due to Palmer’s brilliance, posting 25 goals and 14 assists for the Blues after signing from Manchester City in a deal worth £42.5m.
He’s already one of the best players in the world, and it’s frightening to think how good the attacking midfielder could become, already ranked among the top 1% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for goals scored and the top 1% for assists claimed per 90, as per FBref.
Erling Haaland
58
52
5
57
Cole Palmer
59
34
20
54
Mohamed Salah
57
33
21
54
Ollie Watkins
65
32
16
48
Bukayo Saka
58
24
21
45
Phil Foden
63
29
14
43
Asking Newcastle to produce a player of equal proportions is simply negligible: Palmer is a one-of-a-kind player. That said, the Toon do boast some high-class talent of their own in Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon, their 2023/24 Player of the Year.
They also have Harvey Barnes, who might prove to be Howe’s own version of Palmer if he makes a few improvements, for he carries similar properties to the Chelsea superstar.
Harvey Barnes could be Howe's own Cole Palmer
The 2023/24 campaign, Barnes’ first as a Magpie, was a difficult one for him, as he was one of the injury-ravaged stars within Howe’s brood whose absence knocked Newcastle’s finely crafted fluency firmly off-kilter.
In July 2023, Newcastle signed Leicester City’s Barnes for a £38m fee, with the winger saying “it’s an attacker’s dream to come into a team like this” upon the move. Sadly, injuries indeed pulled him away from action, and the 26-year-old only started seven Premier League fixtures all term.
Barnes blends directness with skills and speed, and given that he ranks among the top 2% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for goals scored per 90 (FBref), FBref have actually drawn Palmer as one of the Magpie’s most comparable players in Europe’s top five leagues – as well as among those in the Premier League this season.
The likeness isn’t strictly down to pure playing style – though both Palmer and Barnes have an awe-inspiring propensity for weaving inside and wreaking destruction with well-placed strikes.
In fact, Barnes is what you might call a ‘big-game player’, undeterred by the occasion and trusting in his reliable skillset. He’s also consistent, with his past five seasons showcasing the kind of clinical level of which Newcastle could yet reap the rewards.
2024/25
Newcastle
9 (5)
3
1
0.44
2023/24
Newcastle
21 (7)
5
3
0.38
2022/23
Leicester
34 (32)
13
1
0.41
2021/22
Leicester
32 (24)
6
10
0.50
2020/21
Leicester
25 (22)
9
4
0.52
The past year, on Tyneside, has been a time of individual strife for Barnes. Injuries beget inconsistency. That said, this is a player whose natural-born clinical edge has fostered a fluent attacking instinct that could find its finest football lies ahead, should he maintain fitness levels under Howe’s wing.
Gordon and Isak haven’t been in tip-top shape so far in 2024/25, albeit combining to send Chelsea packing in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening, and thus it’s been important that Barnes has staked his claim for a prominent place in Howe’s frontline, notably wowing with a wonder strike against Wolverhampton Wanderers in September.
Barnes has the X factor – what that is, he has it. The one-cap England international has only started five top-flight fixtures so far this term but has surely laid down the terms of contract: he must only be afforded roles from the outset and he will wreak havoc on Newcastle’s opponents.
Last year’s struggles might have felt like a millstone around his neck, but Barnes is growing into his skin once again and could prove to be the clutch-type player for Howe’s side that offers shades of one Cole Palmer.
Okay, okay, he might not hit the same staggering heights as his countryman, already garnering a reputation as the finest player in the lands, but he’s certainly got the gusto and goalscoring instinct to become a major player in the division once again.
Hailed for his “special talent” by analyst Statman Dave, the £80k-per-week ace is a sharpshooter, true and proper, and he’s got all the tools in the kit that could see him rival Gordon for the reputation as the finest wideman in Newcastle.
Palmer is the face of the Premier League, probably, and though Barnes isn’t likely to rival the Stamford Bridge sensation for that tag any time soon, there’s no question that he’s one of the best goalscorers in the division, and if Howe perseveres, manages him properly, he might just become a force to be reckoned with.
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