A look ahead to Barnsley's January transfer window.

JANUARY will be vital for Barnsley.

That is something we seem to say every year but this time it feels particularly true.

While the win at Exeter was positive, there is no doubt that the Reds look some way off being a guaranteed promotion contender. They can close that gap with some good work on the training pitch, but they also need help in the window.

They left a lot of their business until the final days of the summer window. If they do so again this time, and bring in players who need time to get up to speed, that could cost them valuable points as they look to stay in touch with the top six.

Many of the summer signings are now coming good but they were slow burns, making little impact in the opening months.

This time they need quick fixes, but that will not be easy in a competitive market on a fairly tight budget.

Some more wins over the next few weeks may help them persuade potential signings that they have a strong promotion chance – something that was not a problem in the previous two seasons when they were well-established in the top six and on good form at this point.

If the gap to the play-off places grows significantly then there may naturally be less appetite from the owners to add to the £8million they put into the club each year by making promotion-chasing signings.

Having said that, there is a case for never giving up as Conor Hourihane and Marc Roberts will tell their colleagues when thinking about the 2015/16 promotion season during which they were in the relegation zone at this point.

There is certainly talent at Oakwell but they are lacking in some key areas and it is lop-sided squad with lots of midfielders but not enough regular goal-scorers and three right-backs but only one left-back.

It needs refining, trimming and improving but that is not easy to do in the notoriously difficult January window while trying to keep a promotion push alive.

Darrell Clarke has mentioned regularly that he needed at least two windows to build his successful squads at previous clubs, but the second one here needs to work for him and sporting director Mladen Sormaz.

Up front the obvious area Reds will look to strengthen in

It is no secret that the Reds will look to bolster their forward line in the January window.

They have not been clinical enough recently when dominating some games and, while extra pace up front would be a welcome addition, they simply need finishers.

That is what almost every other club will be looking for so it may not be easy to find guaranteed goals.

But the front line needs help.

In recent weeks, the only player who has been fully fit and has played up front all his career is Sam Cosgrove who has four goals in 46 league games for the Reds and 16 in 152 across his career in the English leagues. Stephen Humphrys and Davis Keillor-Dunn – both playing up front consistently after mainly being attacking midfielders or wingers – have ten goals between them and each shown some promise, while Max Watters’ return from injury this week is a boost.

But that is four senior strikers on significant first team wages so, to add more on top of that might be financially difficult, unless they can move Cosgrove on.

The Reds are also low on left wing-backs.

Georgie Gent has started the last ten games and done well, creating chances in attack and blocking, by far, the most crosses of any player in the division. But there are no other left-footed wing-backs at the club so – although someone like right-back Corey O’Keeffe or centre-back Josh Earl could cover in an emergency – another natural option there would provide good competition and back-up for Gent.

A few weeks ago, goalkeeper would have been another problem area. But, despite issues in front of him, Ben Killip has been a solid presence between the sticks. With Gaga Slonina working his way back from injury, they may currently feel it is not as glaring an area for improvement as others.

Will Reds continue five-year trend of no big January sales?

Dimitri Cavare, Toby Sibbick, Ben Williams, Will Hondermarck, Jack Walton and Aaron Leya Iseka are the players Barnsley have sold in the last five January transfer windows.

None of them were regular starters, most were barely getting in matchday squads and they were moved on for minimal fees to get them off the books.

It has been five years since Barnsley sold one of their starting 11 in the winter window, when Preston paid a club record £1.5million for Brad Potts, who followed Angus MacDonald the previous year and Conor Hourihane, Sam Winnall and James Bree in the infamous 2017 exodus.

The Reds are no longer prolific January sellers and the noises coming out of the club are that they do not need to sell this time and they are determined to keep the team together.

As with many issues, how close Barnsley are to the top six in late January may have a big impact – both in whether players want to stay and if the club is tempted to cash in.

Midfield star Adam Phillips is an obvious candidate this time, even though he is not a guaranteed starter on Saturday after being sent off last week which allowed Kelechi Nwakali to come in and produce a Player of the Match performance at Exeter.

You can imagine a scenario in which, if Phillips gets over the current spell of form which has seen him net just two penalties in 13 games, he finds one of his purple patches and moves into double figures for goals from midfield in January.

That is the kind of form that might tempt clubs who are desperate for goals from midfield to bid for him.

He has surely been on the radar of Championship teams for a while now given his sustained excellence at League One level in which he is almost guaranteed to reach double figures for goals and assists across every season.

Phillips has made all the right noises in previous interviews about being happy at Barnsley but he will turn 27 on January 15 so will surely want to get into the Championship for the first time soon.

He is signed up at Oakwell until 2027 including a club option, so the Reds will want a substantial sum for him.

Captain Luca Connell will certainly be admired in the Championship, but is also on a long contract. Although he has had a few off games this season, the stats show he is one of the best chance-creators in League One.

Barnsley look to trim squad by moving on players not in plans

One of the first comments Darrell Clarke made about January is that he thinks the squad is too big and needs to be trimmed down.

Sam Cosgrove and Barry Cotter no longer seem to be in Clarke’s long-term plans.

Although Cosgrove should offer something different with his size, he has made little impact recently, is currently on a 14-game goalless streak and was left on the bench on Saturday.

Cotter appears to have fallen down the pecking order in to third choice right wing-back behind Corey O’Keeffe and Kyran Lofthouse. He has not started a league game since the loss at Huddersfield in October and the gruelling two weeks in training which followed.

Josh Benson is entering the final few months of a highly-lucrative contract – which is thought to make him one of the best-paid players at the club despite starting just two league games since January 2023 due to regular injuries.

He is currently building up fitness in the under 21s after his latest spell on the sidelines and it remains to be seen if he will compete for a place in the congested Barnsley midfield or move on.

Cosgrove, Cotter and Benson are the kind of players who could leave and free up space on the wagebill for others.

Midfielder Matty Craig has not started Barnsley’s last 14 games and has been an unused substitute in the last seven. It makes little sense for him, Barnsley or parent club Tottenham Hotspur for Craig to be barely featuring so cutting the loan should must surely at least be being discussed.

Reports have suggested Spurs will recall him and send him elsewhere.

Defender Conor McCarthy looked likely to leave until injuries brought him back into the side recently.

Striker Aiden Marsh could do with another loan, probably to National League level, having once again made some appearances at the start of a season but been unable to stay in the matchday squad.

The plan appears to be to send goalkeeper Jackson Smith out on loan, ideally to a League Two club, ahead of him competing for the number one spot next summer.