A player by player look at Barnsley's January transfer window dealings.

INCOMINGS

TOM BRADSHAW

The Reds are thought to have also been interested in their former strikers Jacob Brown and John McAtee but could not do either deal on deadline day. But they did re-sign Tom Bradshaw who joined them almost a decade ago from Walsall and played alongside Hourihane.

Bradshaw was a decent goal-scorer at a higher level in his first Oakwell spell and certainly brings experience and knowhow, while his positivity at returning was refreshing.

He scored 17 goals for Millwall in the 2022/23 Championship season but that was by far his best campaign and he has not netted in 28 games across 18 months since August 2024, including in 18 appearances for Oxford who he joined a year ago. He has not started in six months and there have to be doubts over whether he and David McGoldrick, with 71 years between them combined, can really function effectively as the only two senior strikers in this busy end to the season.

If we look at the deadline day signings across the previous six windows, Davis Keillor-Dunn is the only absolute success with the others being Jake Rooney, Clement Rodrigues, Dexter Lembikisa, Stephen Humphrys, Conor Grant, Owen Dodgson, Sam Cosgrove, Oli Shaw and Jon Russell.

EOGHAN O’CONNELL

The 30-year-old centre-back was the first signing of the window, having had four months focusing on being a father and family man after his September exit from Wrexham who he had helped to three straight promotions. The Reds needed a change at centre-back so brought in the Irishman until the end of the season.

He has been an ever-present in the heart of their defence and, other than one or two errors, has brought a leadership, organisation and physicality in a decent start so far overall.

The signings of him and Owen Goodman were done to ‘shake up’ a defensive unit that had underperformed.

OWEN GOODMAN

One change most did not see coming was goalkeeper Murphy Cooper being sent back to QPR and replaced by another loanee Goodman from Crystal Palace. Goodman had made a mistake then been sent off at Oakwell in August for Huddersfield, who sent him back to Palace after a disappointing loan, but he kept 25 clean sheets for AFC Wimbledon in League Two last season.

He has been given another chance by Barnsley with a place in Canada’s squad at this summer’s World Cup his long-term goal.

A bigger presence than Cooper, he has made some good saves but also should have done better with a couple of goals.

CHARLIE LENNON

The 19-year-old winger arrived from Middlesbrough on a long-term contract and has so far has not played a minute.

Having impressed in the first half of the campaign at National League North side Darlington, he is seen as a similar prospect to fellow left-winger Reyes Cleary but even younger and more raw. He was brought in to provide back-up for Cleary who has had to play a lot but Hourihane has repeatedly said Lennon is not yet ready for League One football. He was on the bench for two games then not in the squad for the last two.

COREY O’KEEFFE

The right wing-back was sent back to Oakwell from loan club Stockport County having struggled for regular gametime with the promotion-chasers. He certainly added an edge to the side with his combative and feisty presence on the pitch while he is thought to be a big character in the dressing room.

He was initially loaned out because Hourihane wanted to change to a back four but was used when the Reds returned to the wing-back system this month. Now it appears they will return to a back four but so far but he is still a regular starter.

He has played 97 games for the Reds.

SCOTT BANKS

Barnsley desperately needed a right-winger with Caylan Vickers and Neil Farrugia leaving after disappointing spells while Fabio Jalo was set to be loaned out. Banks barely played for Blackpool in the first half of the season, starting just twice in the league, but has already started twice for the Reds.

He inadvertently helped Barnsley beat Blackpool in his final game for the Tangerines, misjudging the ball when the Reds broke to counter-attack for the last-gasp winner and being beaten by Patrick Kelly. But he collected an assist on his debut then impressed again in midweek.

The St Pauli man looks a skilled and threatening winger with the only shame that it is not a permanent deal.

TAWANDA CHIREWA

The 22-year-old, who can play as a number ten or winger joined until the end of the season on loan from Wolves.

He came through the Ipswich youth system then moved to Wolves in 2023, playing ten times in the Premier League – once from the start – with two substitute appearances this season.

Last season he was loaned out to Derby in the Championship – making five appearances – then Huddersfield in League One for whom he played 13 times. He is yet to score in 35 club appearances but has netted three times in 11 caps for Zimbabwe.

He came off the bench in all three of his The Warriors’ games in this year’s Africa Cup of Nations, playing against the likes of Mo Salah. He made his Reds debut off the bench at the end of Saturday’s win then was left on the bench in midweek, surprisingly with fellow new winger Banks looking tired.

OUTGOINGS

DAVIS KEILLOR-DUNN

From the moment he lingered to applaud the Barnsley fans after scoring twice in Saturday’s win over Stevenage, it felt as though he would leave, and 48 hours later he had signed for Wrexham.

Keillor-Dunn has been outstanding for the Reds, scoring 35 goals in 78 appearances, including 16 this season in which he was on course to threaten the 30-goal mark, and will be extremely difficult to replace as a goal-scorer, play-maker and leader.

The reported £2million fee, potentially rising to £3million, is less than most fans expected, but probably the going rate for a 28-year-old who has never played above the third tier. Mansfield will take a cut with their sell-on clause.

There should be no blame attached to him for taking a life-changing two-and-a-half-year contract in his late 20s and joining a club competing to reach the Premier League. He deserved the chance to play at a higher level.

Wrexham are totally different to the non-league club he briefly played for in 2020 before they gained three straight promotions under their Hollywood owners.

Keillor-Dunn’s exit meant Barnsley sold a first team starter in a winter window for the first time in seven years since Brad Potts went to Preston North End, and for the first time in any window in five since Liam Kitching moved to Coventry in the summer of 2023.

It also means the only players Barnsley signed last season who are still in their first team squad are Marc Roberts, who has been a substitute recently, and Georgie Gent who may have been loaned out to gain fitness following an injury if Josh Earl had been fit.

Other than the inspired move for Keillor-Dunn, the two windows in 2024/25 were a failure which the club is still trying to recover from.

NEIL FARRUGIA

The Irish winger moved to Dundee United on a permanent deal, a year after joining from Shamrock Rovers. He made 30 appearances for the Reds but his only two league starts under Hourihane came in December, having had a few injury issues.

While he looked good against non-league teams and under 21s sides in the cups, he did not show anything to suggest he was a League One footballer. He joined Barnsley loanee Max Watters at Dundee United and made his debut off the bench on Saturday.

JON RUSSELL

The midfielder was probably Barnsley’s second best player last season, and certainly finished well under Conor Hourihane – netting five goals in his final five games to finish on 11 in total. But, having missed much of pre-season on international duty, he returned to a Barnsley side using a formation which did not suit him and with younger players having overtaken him.

Russell continued to score fairly regularly this season in limited opportunities but did not start a league match for the Reds before being loaned out to their League One rivals Mansfield.

He has made his first two league starts of the season for the Stags who are just above the Reds.

Russell could still reach the World Cup with Jamaica this summer, just as his Reds contract runs out.

MURPHY COOPER

The goalkeeper arrived having kept 16 clean sheets in League One for Stevenage last season but could only keep two for the Reds. That was not only down to him but, despite making some excellent saves, he was also at fault for a number of goals. Days after the Reds sent him back to QPR he was loaned out to cash-strapped Championship bottom club Sheffield Wednesday for whom he has played five times and lost them all.

CAYLAN VICKERS

The forward will likely play at Oakwell again next month as he has joined Wigan Athletic for the rest of the season.

The Brighton loanee was arguably Barnsley’s best player as they won five of their first seven games this season.

But he was never a natural on the right wing, consistently drifting inside, and was thought to be too lightweight to play more centrally – losing all 16 of his aerial challenges.

After some poor performances, he was dropped in October and only made one more league start before being sent back in January.

JAKE ROONEY

The centre-back has joined National League relegation-battlers Boston United on loan from Derby County, having spent the first half of the season at Oakwell. The only Reds signing on the summer transfer deadline day had played with Conor Hourihane previously.

Coming off a major injury which ruled him out for two years, he was clearly not ready for League One football and only played 45 minutes at that level – out of position at left-back at Doncaster against Luke Molyneux who dominated Rooney before he was taken off at the break. The majority of his cup performances were also unconvincing and he was sent back to Derby.

FABIO JALO

Long seen as the next big talent out of the academy, Jalo has made more than 50 appearances for Barnsley but only played 1,036 league minutes which is less than 12 full games.

He looked to have broken into the team last spring, starting a league match for the first time then scoring twice against Bolton but he picked up a serious knee injury which kept him out for eight months. He has played since but looked off the pace.

Jalo has now joined League Two Oldham, where Vimal Yoganathan had great success last season. He came off the bench in a 3-0 loss at home to Cambridge on Saturday.

It feels like a crucial few months for Jalo to play 20-odd games, regain fitness and come back in the summer ready to make a big impact next season. The Portugal under 20s forward clearly has immense talent, and is still just 20, but needs to start showing it more regularly. Academy manager Bobby Hassell said in a recent Chronicle interview that Jalo should have been loaned out earlier.

KACPER LOPATA

The centre-back, who does not seem to be in Hourihane’s plans at all, was sent back by Bristol Rovers and loaned out again to another League Two club Walsall. He has made just one substitute appearance due to injury. The 24-year-old will still have a year remaining of his contract in the summer.

CONNOR BARRATT

The centre-back joined Irish club Galway United on loan for the rest of the season. The 21-year-old played on the opening day of the league season at Plymouth then three times in cups before being loaned out to non-league clubs Kidderminster and Bedford.

JACKSON SMITH

The goalkeeper was loaned to League Two Grimsby for the remainder of the season after several emergency loans. He kept six clean sheets in a row which is ironic given Barnsley’s lack of shut-outs albeit at a higher level with a different defence.

The 24-year-old will have two years remaining on his deal in the summer but has mostly been third choice for the Reds.