ANOTHER quiet window, before another flurry of announcements in the final few hours of Monday’s deadline day, has left some questions over whether Barnsley have a squad ready to challenge for promotion.
It was thought that the Reds went into the window primarily wanting to recruit up front, at left wing-back and a goalkeeper. After signing left wing-back Neil Farrugia on January 3, they then waited 27 days to bring in ‘keeper Joe Gauci before doubling their tally on February 3, deadline day, with striker Clement Rodrigues and another wing-back Dexter Lembikisa coming in.
There have to be doubts over whether the Reds have the firepower up front to compete for the top six. Their current strikers are Davis Keillor-Dunn, the impressive ten-goal top-scorer, Stephen Humphrys, who has not netted in 14 games across three months, and new signing Rodrigues. Max Watters and Fabio Jalo are both injured and not expected back until around March time. Josiah Dyer was on the league bench for the first time at the weekend.
They could sign a free agent in the coming days which might change the complexion of the squad.
In contrast, Wrexham signed England international striker – and ex-Red – Jay Rodriguez as well as buying Sam Smith off Reading, while Huddersfield added other proven League One forwards in Joe Taylor, who is now injured, and Dion Charles.
But the Reds feel they have brought in a number one goalkeeper, and added experience in the wing-back areas while there is genuine excitement about Rodrigues up front.
Three loans and a free agent suggest money is tight, but the Reds have budget which sporting director Mladen Sormaz said pre-season was bigger than last year’s. Whether that has translated into a top six squad, with others also spending a lot more, we shall see.
Ultimately, we just don’t know how good these untested signings will be yet.
The Reds still have the likes of Josh Benson – for whom they could not find the right loan deal – on substantial wages who was signed in the disastrous summer of 2021 while, this window, they moved on several players from the summer of 2023 in which they also made a lot of failed signings.
Darrell Clarke now knows his squad for the remainder of the season and he has a rare run of three successive weeks with no midweek game to integrate the new players in training – although of course they have big games to prepare for as well as many problems to fix in a side who are winless in four.
They are just a point off the top six but face top five sides Stockport and Huddersfield next.
If form does not improve, the atmosphere could start to turn nasty while at least one of the teams in the bunch from sixth to tenth will likely sprint away from them.
The defence has looked shaky in recent games and the talented midfield is not performing as it should be, with the likes of Luca Connell and Adam Phillips needing to get back to their consistent best immediately.
Connell and Phillips both stayed as, for the sixth successive January transfer window, the Reds did not sell any of their starting 11.
There were some tentative inquiries for midfielders from other clubs but all rebuffed.
Looking towards the summer, senior players out of contract at the end of the season are Conor McCarthy and Benson while the club has an option to extend Donovan Pines and Humphrys’ deals by a further year.
None of those players – expect possibly an in-form Humphrys – would be in Clarke’s first choice 11 if everyone was fit, based on his selections so far this season.
