Barnsley boss Conor Hourihane urged to steer clear of Swansea City transfer - He's 'not what we need' | OneFootball

FLW's Barnsley fan pundit doesn't think that Bobby Wales is the answer to their striker needs.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Bobby Wales seems to be a striker in hot demand amongst League One clubs this January, after the 20-year-old has struggled for game time since arriving at Swansea City in the summer.

The Scotland youth international had a breakout year in the Scottish Premiership last season at Kilmarnock, making 28 league appearances and winning the club's Young Player of the Year.

His performances garnered the interest of Championship sides, but despite winning the race to bring him in, Wales has struggled to make an impact at Swansea so far this year, making just one cameo appearance in the Championship in their 1-0 win over Sheffield United in August.

Therefore, a loan move in January seems to be optimal for the highly-rated young forward to continue his progression, and promotion-chasing sides Barnsley and Lincoln City are among the many third-tier outfits who are expressing an interest in taking him in, as per journalist Graeme Bailey via X.

"No doubt in my mind" - Barnsley handed transfer claim for Swansea City striker Bobby Wales

With Davis Keillor-Dunn arguably operating best just behind the main striker, and the likes of Caylan Vickers, Reyes Cleary and, when fit, Fabio Jalo, playing their best football on the wings, 37-year-old David McGoldrick is the only out-and-out striker at Oakwell, currently.

Despite Barnsley's attacking options being of high quality, the depth isn't there, and for the side to make a play-off surge under Conor Hourihane, Football League World's Tykes fan pundit, Andy Symcox, believes that a striker addition is necessary this winter.

However, he doesn't feel that Wales is the man they need.

Luckily enough, there are plenty of goalscorers in this team who don't play as the central striker, but Symcox feels that the Tykes are in desperate need of reinforcement in that area, especially if McGoldrick undergoes a dip in form or gets injured.

"There's no doubt in my mind, and likely many Barnsley fans too, that we need an additional striker," he said.

"We have known this since the summer, and we were unable to obtain the services of one. We don't have enough options up front who will make a difference if things aren't working, or if there's a loss of form or an injury to the players in those positions."

Despite the need for a new frontman, Symcox is unsure whether a promising loanee is the answer for Hourihane's side.

Barnsley will need someone to score the goals necessary to make their play-off dreams a reality, and despite Wales making an impact on the scoresheet in the limited minutes he had in the EFL Cup against Crawley Town this season, just five goals in 34 appearances in all competitions last term for Kilmarnock aren't stats which blow the fan pundit away.

"Whether or not it's Bobby Wales we need is a different matter.

"I know little about him other than that he is a 20-year-old who made his name at Kilmarnock, earned his move to Swansea, but has struggled for game time," he said.

"He's not scored that many goals on either side of the border, and my personal view is that a raw 20-year-old who needs to be brought on in terms of development is not what we need.

"We have a good number of players who are that age or younger, and I would personally prefer a striker who has more experience in terms of age or who can bring something different.

"As I said, I don't know a lot about Wales, but I suspect that it's not what we need."

If a loan is the way to go, Barnsley may struggle to do better than Bobby Wales

Unfortunately, player sales during the January transfer window are few and far between, and more often than not, sides turn to the loan market to see who can give them a short-term boost.

If McGoldrick can stay fit and Keillor-Dunn remains at Oakwell behind him, Hourihane won't really be searching for a new first-choice option up there, as both of them have shown so far both this season and in the past that they're top-level League One options.

Therefore, a loanee option may end up being the move, and after a frustrating opening to his Swansea career where opportunities have been limited, Wales will be eager and hungry to get on the pitch and prove why the Welsh side were keen to bring him in.

If he can back up McGoldrick and shoulder some of the attacking load by scoring a few goals, which could prove vital by the end of the season, then many Barnsley fans will feel it to have been a successful loan spell.

But there's no doubt about it that Hourihane needs attacking reinforcements this January, whether it's a loan or permanent deal.