Barnet Football Club have announced the signing of former Sheffield United, Luton Town and Queens Park Rangers player Luke Freeman.
Freeman made his first senior appearances for Gillingham in the 2007/08 season aged just 15. He is still the fourth youngest player to play in the FA Cup to date.
This led to a move to Arsenal where he never made a senior appearance, but he had loan spells at the likes of Yeovil Town and Stevenage before making a permanent move to the latter.
The former England under-17 international went on to play 129 times in all competitions for the League One side, scoring 17 times and making 19 assists before moving to Bristol City.
The EFL veteran had a stunning first season in South-West England, playing every league game for the Robins in the 2014/15 season and providing 25 goal contributions as his side were promoted.
Freeman had a reasonable first 18 months in the Championship before moving to QPR in January 2017 for around £300,000. After having six months to settle in, the new Barnet number 12 had two top seasons in the second tier, making 88 appearances for the Royals and providing 32 goal contributions.
This led to Sheffield United, who were newly promoted to the Premier League, paying a whopping £4.8 million to secure the versatile players’ services. Unfortunately, Freeman never quite got going in the top flight, playing just 360 league minutes in the 2019/20 season.
Loan moves to Nottingham Forest and Millwall were sandwiched in between half a season back in Yorkshire before the man born in Dartford ended up at Luton Town last season.
There, he made 26 appearances, mostly from the bench, and provided two useful goals and one assist as Rob Edwards’ side achieved a remarkable promotion to the Premier League.
Writer’s View
Freeman has been without a club for six months, but his arrival in North London should still be a massive coup for Barnet. He is joining a team who have looked like they needed a fresh injection of energy and enthusiasm in recent weeks as injuries have mounted up and his versatility will be vital for Dean Brennan.
Barnet fans will be hoping that Freeman arrives at the club fitter than their previous big-name signing, Gary Hooper, who took a fair amount of time to get up to match fitness whilst consistently appearing off the bench.
Joining in 2023, Aryan specialises in predictions and National League content for The Real EFL.
