Barnes: It Feels Like Home

Barnes, 23, has made 100 appearances across all competitions for the Club following his debut in the UEFA Champions League in 2016, scoring 21 times in the process.

A hugely exciting winger with a direct style of play that often causes havoc with opposition defences, he explained why he wanted to continue his journey as a Fox.

He told LCFC TV: “It’s been something that’s been going on in the background for a little while, so to get it sorted now is great. It’s just before the new season as well, so it’s something to look forward to on and off the pitch.

“I’ve been here that many years now, it feels like home. For me, it was a no-brainer. Of course, I wanted to extend my stay here. I think everything that the team and the Club has managed to achieve over the last two years… of course there’s a few things we’ve missed out on, but over the next few years, we’re looking to achieve those things and hopefully go on to achieve as many good things as we can. To be a part of that is going to be great.

“That new contract gives you the stability that you know going into each season. You’re not worrying about anything, and you know it’s all sorted now for the next few years, and you can just concentrate solely on football. As a team, we can go onto achieve great things.”

Following City’s move into LCFC Training Ground in December 2020, the news of King Power Stadium’s expansion plans also thrilled Barnes, who has seen the Football Club develop at an unprecedented rate since he joined aged nine.

“They are always just looking to achieve more,” he said of his boyhood team. “You look at the training ground that’s just been built, which is amazing. That’s going to be a huge factor for the Club.

“Then, of course, they’ve now announced the stadium plans, which shows the direction the Club wants to go in. They want to keep building and keep expanding. As a team, we want to do the exact same – we want to keep building on what we’ve done the previous season.

“The last two years, we’ve done that. We’ve achieved some great things in the last few months. We’ve won the FA Cup and the Community Shield. This year, we want to recreate that and go even further.

“You look around and you can see that there is a project going on. We’ve got a lot of young players who are coming through, and they’ve got a lot of amazing years ahead of them.

"We’ve got the experienced lads in the team as well, who are sort of gluing it all together. We’ve got a great mix at the minute. It’s a great changing room to be in on and off the pitch, and I’m just really excited for what the next few years has in store.”

Although Barnes missed the final three months of the 2020/21 season with a knee injury, he had his best goalscoring return for the Foxes, allowing him to approach 2021/22 with natural confidence.

After playing 35 games across all competitions, he scored 13 times, including in the Emirates FA Cup, which City went on to lift for the first time in their history.

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The England winger will don the no.7 shirt for Leicester City for the first time this season.

“For me, it was my first serious injury, as such, so it was a different test for me,” he said. “It was my first spell being out of playing football since I’ve gone into it professionally. I think I’ve come back really well from it.

“I feel really good in myself and for me, I just want to pick up where I left off last year. I was in some great form and it was my best goalscoring season.

“I think this year is going to be about recreating that and going further for me, and keep pushing to hopefully achieve great things at Leicester. Of course, I’ve got international ambitions for myself as well.”

City have collected two trophies in the space of just four months, first claiming the FA Cup with a 1-0 win over Chelsea, before that success resulted in them beating Manchester City by the same scoreline to lift the FA Community Shield for only the second time.

He added: “As soon as you get a taste for it, you just want more. The first time round [against Chelsea], I wasn’t involved, but throughout the actual tournament myself, I had a part to play, so I felt more than involved in the team when I was cheering on from the sides for that game.

“Then, of course, the Community Shield, I was out there playing, which for me was a really special game. Getting to play at Wembley, it was the first occasion where we’ve had a big set of fans there. It was amazing to be a part of that.

“It just makes us want to keep achieving more and have those special moments within the team, and also to share those moments with the fans. It’s what football is all about.

“As players, we got used to the fact that there was no fans there. We had to adapt to that, but having a taste of them being back in the stadium, it just shows how important they are to the game. Of course, the game at the weekend [against Wolves], they were back in full voice, and it was brilliant.”

Following Brendan Rodgers’ arrival as manager, City have recorded back-to-back fifth-place finishes, resulting in two consecutive European campaigns for the first time, while also lifting the FA Cup and Community Shield.

And it is the Northern Irishman’s hunger for success that has not only inspired Barnes, but the rest of his team-mates, Barnes says.

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The City No.7 is excited for the coming seasons after claiming his first major trophy as a Fox last term.

“He’s had a really big impact on me,” the England international said. “I think that showed especially last season where my goalscoring stats improved. It’s something that he spoke to me about.

“He said: ‘You’re doing really well in games, but you need to make sure that as an attacking player, your stats are matching your performance’.

“Last year, they did do that, so I think he’s had a really big impact on me on that side of the game, and tactically as well.

“Within the team, he has the same effect on everyone. He’s been great since he’s come in, and of course he’s part of the reason why I signed my contract as well.”

After being named as City’s No.7 for the first time this season, Barnes added: “It’s a number I’ve always really liked since I was a kid. So, when the opportunity came up, I just wanted to grab it with both hands.

“So, I’m really excited. I got a goal in it with pre-season, but it’d be nice to get my first proper goal with it to celebrate it.”