BARNSLEY making good use of their one EU signing slot this summer will be ‘really, really important’ while they are not planning to bring back last season’s loanees Scott Banks and Tom Bradshaw.
The number of EU players who can be in League One squads – known as an Elite Significant Contribution signing – has gone down from two to one.
French defender Mael de Gevigney, who has been at Barnsley for three years, is thought to qualify for a UK visa so they still have one place available.
The Reds are understood to be looking at players Daniel Stendel worked with at previous club Hannover 96 in Germany as well as other options.
Chief executive Jon Flatman told the Chronicle: “That one spot is really, really important.
“There are lots of players, as you can imagine, who qualify for an ESC and we just need to make sure the one we do is the right one.
“There are several on the list.
“But the one ESC instead of two does make a dramatic difference, even for those clubs who aren’t using them.
“It just means if you do use it, you’ve got to use it in the right place.”
Bradshaw and Banks both signed on loan for Barnsley in the January transfer window.
Striker Bradshaw, who will be 34 next month, netted three goals in 19 games.
He played briefly under Stendel in each of their first spells at the club in 2018 and is now a free agent after leaving Oxford United.
Banks is still contracted to German club St Pauli.
The 24-year-old Scottish winger contributed three goals and four assists in 22 games for the Reds.
Flatman said: “We have explored both of those options.
“Tom was here previously under Daniel and Scott has Bundesliga commitments.
“We haven’t gone back to his Bundesliga club and discussed in any further detail, but obviously, their season’s only just recently come to an end.
“My feeling would be that we wouldn’t go back to either of those options right now.”
Barnsley relied mainly on free transfers and loans last season.
Flatman said: “I think we will do some transfers potentially with fees this year.
“But Patrick Kelly and Reyes Cleary pretty much came on frees.
“So if there’s an opportunity to repeat those, we’ll definitely do that.
“But we’re not ruling out players who are in contract.
“It’s to filter all those available players.
“Some come up during the period. Some are always available as a free.
“Some are on contract, and then the manager doesn’t want them anymore.
“We’ve just got to continue to update our lists and make sure that the players we’re putting in front of Daniel to look at are the best that are available, whether they’re free or whether they’re transfer fees or not.”
The window opens on June 15 with Barnsley’s players due back in training the following week.
Stendel is expected to return to Oakwell on a full-time basis in mid-June but is working with the club from his home in Germany.
The Reds’ first competitive game of the 2026/27 season will be in the EFL Cup on the weekend of August 7-9 with the league campaign starting a week later. The fixtures are due to be revealed on June 25.
