THE ANNOUNCEMENT of Barnsley’s retained list this week laid bare the scale of the rebuilding job this summer.
As it stands, they need a right-back, a centre-back, a winger and three strikers as a bare minimum. They may also look at the goalkeeper and left-back areas.
And that is before any of the possible departures this summer, with bids expected for star men, while Daniel Stendel will have his say on the squad which could lead to more changes.
If David McGoldrick signs a new contract, it would give the fans and squad a major boost, while Eoghan O’Connell is also in discussions over a new deal.
Barnsley’s recruitment last season was much better in general than the previous campaigns following the return of part-owner James Cryne to a more active role. It needs to be even better this time as the Reds have some huge gaps to fill in the squad.
They at least now have a manager with a distinctive style which matches how the board want to play, so they can recruit around that.
Their budget was mid-table last season but they received the best part of £2million in January for Davis Keillor-Dunn then a substantial six-figure sum for former captain Liam Kitching’s promotion to the Premier League with Coventry.
They should be able to punch above their weight like Lincoln and Stevenage did this year.
GOALKEEPERS
Barnsley have had four young goalkeepers on loan across the last two seasons with none of them being truly successful.
If you add in Liam Roberts in 2023/24 and Harry Istead in early 2023, the Reds have not had a first choice goalkeeper who was not a loanee for three and a half years since Brad Collins in 2022.
They have Jackson Smith who has excelled for Grimsby Town on loan but could not take them to the League Two play-off final.
The 24-year-old has had a bizarre Barnsley career so far, signing a four-year deal in 2023 but only playing seven times last season – in which he was fairly unconvincing – before being third choice this season ahead of his loan.
Jack Shepherd’s travails provide a cautionary tale against expecting a player who has starred on loan for a League Two promotion candidate to take that form into League One with Barnsley.
It is unclear what Smith’s, Barnsley’s or Grimsby’s intentions are but, considering he kept 13 clean sheets in 26 league games while Reds only managed four all season, he surely deserves a chance in pre-season at the very least.
There are also homegrown stoppers Kieren Flavell, 22, who has played occasionally in the last two seasons, and Rogan Ravenhill, 20, who spent the season out on loan in the National League North.
CENTRE-BACKS
The Reds conceded 99 goals and kept just five clean sheets last season, totally the opposite to Stendel’s first season when they had one of the tightest defences in the country.
They had the option to release most of their centre-backs and start almost totally from scratch, but have not done so as they extended the deals of Mael de Gevigney and Jack Shepherd for another year while they are in discussions with Eoghan O’Connell.
All those decisions make some sense individually but, as a collective, they have kept faith in a large portion of one of their worst ever defences – surely a risky strategy.
De Gevigney barely played until March but had a strong end to the season.
Shepherd had a very difficult season as one of the main culprits in Barnsley’s defensive woes but is still young and raw plus probably relatively cheap.
O’Connell was a slight upgrade after arriving on a short-term deal in January while Josh Earl is contracted for another year.
None have been outstanding defenders for Barnsley and are not pacy enough to allow Stendel to play the defensive high line he used last time.
At least one good signing and better work on the training pitch may improve them significantly as a defensive unit.
It is not just down to the centre-backs, with more solidity needed at full-back, defensive midfield and in goal.
Kacper Łopata, 24, and Connor Barratt, 22, who have both been loaned out and barely featured under various managers, each have a year left on their contracts.
RIGHT-BACKS
Corey O’Keeffe had a decent second half of the season after coming back from an unsuccessful loan at Stockport.
The 27-year-old has one year remaining on his current deal.
There are no other senior players in that position as first choice but midfielder Jono Bland can fill in there.
LEFT-BACKS
This is a position Barnsley barely recruited in for much of the last decade, preferring to retrain players from other positions to fill in there.
They do have a natural left-back in Georgie Gent who has had a tough time in his Barnsley career so far, with injuries plus some disappointing performances amid a few glimpses of talent.
Josh Earl finished the season there but is naturally more of a centre-back.
Robson Woodcock, 18, has been given a professional contract and has been on the fringes of the first team.
CENTRAL MIDFIELD
This is clearly Barnsley’s strongest area at the moment.
Patrick Kelly is a fantastic talent, with Vimal Yoganathan and Jono Bland learning plenty from their first senior seasons, while Luca Connell and Adam Phillips are very experienced League One players who, on their day, are high-class for the level.
Bland, Yoganathan and Kelly appear to have the ‘legs’ and athleticism to play Stendel’s brand of football while Connell and Phillips were part of a high-pressing team under Michael Duff that won the ball in the final third the most times in the division in 2022/23.
It must be added that there are doubts about whether all of those players will stay this summer, with Kelly sure to be of interest to other clubs, Yoganathan regularly linked with top flight outfits while Connell’s and Phillips’ deals are running down.
There is also Kelechi Nwakali who does not naturally feel like a Stendel player and the Reds may look to move him on this summer if they can.
The Nigeria international still has a year remaining on his contract.
WINGERS
Reyes Cleary was outstanding for much of last season, with no one registering more assists in the EFL.
The Reds rejected bids of up to £3million for him in January with more expected in the summer so it is unclear if he will stay.
His 22 goal contributions in all competitions would be extremely hard to replace as would the x-factor he brings with his pace and skill.
The other wingers currently under contract are Charlie Lennon, who barely featured under Hourihane after signing in January, and Fabio Jalo who is clearly lacking badly in fitness following a major injury last year.
It will be a big summer for both.
Barnsley also have under 21 players Lewis Gould and Luke Alker.
Stendel may look to play a more central player like Phillips or Yoganathan on the right as he did with Brad Potts then Jacob Brown in 2018/19, with an overlapping right-back.
But they surely need at least one more option in this position even if Cleary stays.
Scott Banks spent months on loan to the Reds but it is unclear if they will look to bring him back on loan again.
STRIKERS
The area in need of the most attention currently.
Barnsley only have Leo Farrell who is 20 and has never started a game above the National League. He has talent but the Reds surely need three other strikers who bring more experience and proven goals records.
They will try to keep David McGoldrick, although he is thought to have other clubs interested after netting 18 goals in a superb season.
It is unclear if they will look to retain Tom Bradshaw who netted three goals in 19 games on loan.
They may not be able to make a signing like when they prised Davis Keillor-Dunn away from Mansfield for a reported £700,000 two years ago.
Players of his talent and reliability in front of goal, or that of McGoldrick who joined due to his friend Conor Hourihane last summer, are not easy to come by on a mid-table third tier budget.
