As Harvey Barnes finalises his transfer from Leicester City to Newcastle United, the feeling is a bittersweet one.
The winger, who grew up in the south Leicestershire village of Countesthorpe, joined the club as a nine-year-old in June 2007 and is now moving on 16 years later.
Those years, almost two thirds of Barnes’ life, have been tarnished in the eyes of many by relegation last season. As a member of that squad, Barnes must share responsibility, he cannot solely be to blame for the club’s fate. Nor can he criticised for the timing of his departure.
When a fanbase suffers something as heart-breaking as a relegation, there are often attempts out of anger to pick holes and find faults with players. Barnes, like many of his teammates, has suffered unwarranted criticism on social media.
Many who have known Barnes, both professionally and personally, have not one bad word to say about him. He has always cared about Leicester City and, while perhaps not the most vocal or animated at times, wears his heart on his sleeve.
With relegation wage cuts across the squad, and fatherhood now just months away, nobody can begrudge a young man wanting to do the best for his family financially. And any young footballer dreams of playing in the Champions League.
Nor can you begrudge Leicester wanting to sell for £38million, rising to £40million. Under Financial Fair Play, that will go down as pure profit because Barnes is an academy graduate. A healthy chunk of that money will be reinvested into the squad rebuild led by Enzo Maresca.
Barnes has approached his exit, both privately and publicly, in a professional manner. City have seen examples of players who have handled their exits badly in recent years, and Barnes is certainly not one of them.
While some of the money City receive will be spent on the squad, there may already be a player on the books who can step up and fill Barnes’ boots.
The next generation of academy graduates are ready to step up. The young man who could soon fill Barnes’ number seven shirt is Will Alves. While currently recovering from a serious ACL injury suffered last season, Alves is well on his way to the top.