THERE is now less than a month remaining until the January transfer window opens.

Barnsley are in a reasonable position, just outside the play-off places with several games in hand having just taken seven points from their last three fixtures.

There is some outstanding attacking potential in this team but still question marks over the defence, game management and squad depth. Tuesday’s shaming in the EFL Trophy was a reminder that they are still a long way from being a consistent team.

A window of moving on players not good enough for the level or not suited to Conor Hourihane’s style, strengthening in a few key areas and keeping their star men could continue the recent momentum and put them in a good position to challenge for the top six in a very tight league.

They are one window into a reset under an ambitious and demanding young coach who has changed the formation and style of play.

Hourihane is likely to play a key role in the window, along with chief executive Jon Flatman following the shock autumn departure of sporting director Mladen Sormaz who has not yet been replaced and is not expected to be in time for January.

Last season, January was a promotion-killing disaster for Barnsley who have found it tough to recruit in that transfer window, like other clubs, but a few shrewd additions could be vital this time.

It is no secret that they do not have a huge amount of money to spend but they must deepen their squad ahead of a busy run-in.

Not every problem will be solved in the transfer window.

Barnsley have the seventh best first half record in the division but the 15th best in the second while they have lost eight points after 75 minutes as they continue to ship late goals.

That is partly down squad depth but Hourihane also must take responsibility for his substitutions and the team sometimes being too defensive when in front while the players can still occasionally show a lack of resilience.

WILL REDS LOOK TO FIX GOAL LEAKS WITH SIGNINGS AND CAN THEY ADD DEPTH IN ATTACK?

After an up and down start to the season, some better recent form with a settled side has helped to crystallise what the Reds need in the window.

January is notoriously difficult to find quality in while, if Barnsley sell any star men, then the shopping list alters.

The Reds have kept just two clean sheets since February, although they have let in just two goals in their last three league matches with centre-backs Jack Shepherd and Marc Roberts looking fairly solid until the trophy thrashing in midweek.

Roberts’ character and experience helped since his return from injury, but he limped off again.

The back-ups are Mael de Gevigney and Josh Earl who can each also play at full-back but have struggled for consistency, while Jake Rooney’s loan has not worked out.

Although Hourihane has repeatedly backed his defenders, and rightly pointed out it is a full team problem, they will surely at least be on the look-out for a centre-back who can improve them, potentially adding pace to the back line.

Left-back is another uncertain area.

Nathanael Ogbeta has lost his place recently with Hourihane preferring to play a much slower centre-back out of position, often leading to a string of chances, while Georgie Gent has not played for the first team after injury.

Can they strengthen the forward line?

Last January, with Barnsley in desperate need of at least one striker, they signed the inept Clement Rodrigues and left-winger Jon Lewis – both of whom barely played. The previous year, their only attacking addition in January was midfielder Conor Grant on loan from a League Two club and he barely started.

They need better this time.

In the last few games, they seem to have found an attacking set-up which works – Reyes Cleary as an out and out winger on the left, Vimal Yoganathan starting on the right but drifting centrally, and Patrick Kelly behind Davis Keillor-Dunn up front.

It is a fluid and skilled front line which has produced some excellent football.

And they also have Adam Phillips plus the exceptionally talented Fabio Jalo to add when he returns from injury which is expected this month.

They showed what they are capable of by demolishing Luton but they need to stay consistently clinical especially when they face more stubbornly defensive sides.

A striker with a different profile to Keillor-Dunn and David McGoldrick – perhaps a youngster on loan from a higher league with express pace, or a big targetman – would give them more variety in attack.

There is no natural back-up for Jono Bland and Luca Connell as defensive midfielders.

They may just have to play one of their many attacking midfielders in a deeper role if required.

BARNSLEY DEVELOPING NEXT GENERATION OF SUPERB TALENTS OR ‘SELLABLE ASSETS’

Barnsley will traditionally sell for the right price and how realistic a promotion challenge seems could play a part.

But they will not want to lose players who have developed and performed well during their time at Oakwell for anything less than what they value them at.

They have not sold a starting player in January for seven years since Preston broke their club record for Brad Potts.

The Reds have some exciting young talents – Patrick Kelly, Reyes Cleary, Jono Bland, Vimal Yoganathan – who are all 21 or younger, all in the current 11 and all tied down to contracts until the near the end of this decade.

Fabio Jalo could soon return to that list if he comes back from injury with similar performances to those he showed in March and April.

They all look superb assets for the club and some may be sold eventually but surely they have room to develop much more after January.

Cleary is so obviously blessed with an unusual combination of pace, skill and consistent end product aged 21, that clubs may be tempted to snap him up quickly for a sizeable fee.

The ideal scenario is that he fires Barnsley into serious promotion contention with double figures for goals and assists then the club assesses the bids that come in.

There are some older stars as well.

Both Adam Phillips and Davis Keillor-Dunn will only have a year left on their contracts at the end of the season, while captain Luca Connell has found more consistency and is one of top chance-creators in the league.

League One’s top-scorer Keillor-Dunn is on course to net about 25 goals this season so will have admirers again but losing such a reliable scorer and creative player would surely only be worth one of Barnsley’s highest ever transfer fees.

Phillips, who will be 28 during the window, might currently not be in the starting 11 when everyone is fit but has proved himself as a high-quality League One performer.

All the above players appear to be committed and happy under Hourihane.

MOVING ON FRINGE PLAYERS COULD BE VITAL FOR BRINGING IN BETTER

There are some players Barnsley will surely look to move on in January if they can, freeing up space to bring in replacements who can make more of an impact.

Kelechi Nwakali is obviously one having been with the under 21s all season but he will only be halfway through a three-year deal and it depends if a move can be found that suits all parties.

Hourihane has said he is very unlikely to pick the Nigeria international again so, at 27, he surely needs to get back into senior football to salvage his career.

Jon Russell has played 108 league minutes this season in nine substitute appearances and, when everyone is fit, often does not make the bench. With a possible place at the World Cup with Jamaica to fight for, it would make sense for him to leave for regular football in January – a few months before his contract expires. He is talented and a regular scorer but does not suit Hourihane’s high-energy style in a 4-2-3-1.

Neil Farrugia is also yet to start in the league this season – or at all under Hourihane – and his impressive showings in cup games against lower league or under 21 sides contrast with his limp displays off the bench in the league.

With Fabio Jalo set to return soon to compete for the right wing role, along with Vimal Yoganathan and Adam Phillips, it is difficult to see the Irishman playing often.

Caylan Vickers started 15 of the first 16 games, other than against parent club Brighton, but was taken off at half-time at Bradford in October and has been on the bench for the next four in the league, coming on twice. This would have been unthinkable when he made a superb start, but he is down the pecking order for all the attacking midfield roles which, if it continues, could mean a loan somewhere else is best for all parties in January.

Defender Jake Rooney has made just one league appearance for the Reds, taken off at half-time having struggled at left-back, while also looking off the pace in cup ties in central defence. It is not clear whether they can cancel the deal with Derby but they would surely consider it if so. Rooney has missed years through injury and may need to drop down a level to find consistency and form again.

Then there is Jackson Smith who again finds himself as third choice goalkeeper and in need of a loan.

Others might push for moves if unhappy with their gametime.

SOME SUMMER BUSINESS WAS EXCELLENT BUT LACK OF DEPTH HAS SURELY COST THEM A FEW POINTS

We now have several months of hindsight and a third of a season to assess the summer transfer window.

Of the eight players brought in, other than loanee Rooney, they have all contributed in some way.

Kelly and Cleary – the only ones who signed for more than a year -– both look excellent prospects, having been initially eased into the 11.

Signing both of those players on free transfers in the same window could make us look back at that summer as a huge one for the Reds and cast a different light on Mladen Sormaz’s controversial tenure as sporting director.

Murphy Cooper is an ever-present in goal while right-back Tennai Watson has been solid.

Nathanael Ogbeta, Caylan Vickers and David McGoldrick all started well before fading and finding themselves on the bench in recent weeks. That is still a better hit-rate than both last season’s dubious windows while they also kept all their star man.

But they failed to sign another forward and the lack of strength in depth in attack has been an issue which may well have cost them some points.

They went through the opening months of the season with no strikers on the bench, while they had to keep playing the likes of Keillor-Dunn in all competitions. An injury to him would have been disastrous but he has stayed fit and scoring so far.

Another forward option would definitely have been helpful, with the likes of Farrugia and Russell struggling to impact league games in wing roles. But they are still in touching distance of the play-offs.