John McAtee features: 2 transfer regrets Barnsley should have after summer transfer window | OneFootball

Now the summer transfer window has closed, Barnsley have two transfer regrets, one specifically regarding striker John McAtee.

Now the summer transfer window has closed, Barnsley can reflect on their off-season business.

Barnsley have been busy in the transfer window recruiting in every department, with some success. A change in transfer policy with a move away from predominantly recruiting players under 25 years of age with a view to selling them on for a profit to acknowledging older and experienced players can enhance the squad has pleased supporters.

The return of Marc Roberts and Conor Hourihane has been warmly received by the Oakwell faithful too. Roberts has been handed the vice-captaincy and Hourihane has a player-coaching role for the next two years before becoming a full-time coach.

A couple of forwards signed on deadline day in the shape of Stephen Humphrys and Davis Keillor-Dunn, the latter being a player Barnsley have tracked all summer, has bolstered that area of the pitch.

Despite good recruitment, there are a few regrets the Tykes may have...

Barnsley missed a trick with John McAtee

The failure to even try to negotiate the permanent signing of John McAtee, who had a successful loan spell at Barnsley, is disappointing. Finances could have come into the reckoning, but good strikers are hard to come by and worth every penny. McAtee has proved he is a very good striker.

The 25-year-old played 45 games for Barnsley in League One last season whilst on loan from Luton Town. During that time, he scored 15 goals and assisted another five. Not only did McAtee contribute with goals, his constant work rate didn't go unnoticed either, with energy to burn and a willingness to press all over the pitch.

On his Barnsley debut away at Wigan, McAtee came off the bench to score in the 2-0 victory and make himself an instant hit with the away supporters that day.

He reportedly had many admirers in both League One and the Championship and with his parent club, Luton Town, appearing happy to move the striker on, it feels like Barnsley should have at least been in the mix of clubs trying to sign him.

The Mancunian enjoyed his spell in South Yorkshire, despite not being able to help Barnsley win promotion to the Championship. Now McAtee has signed for League One rivals Bolton Wanderers, one cannot help but think that had the club shown a genuine interest in signing McAtee, he may have decided to stay and have another go at promotion with the Reds.

It's a situation that the Oakwell outfit may already regret.

Kacper Lopata unlucky to be loaned out again

Another transfer regret appears to be defender Kacper Lopata's season-long loan to Scottish Premiership side Ross County.

The Polish centre-back was a regular at the start of last season under manager Neill Collins until injury kept him out for two months. A return to the first team never materialised, and he was loaned out to Port Vale for the remainder of the season. A strong defender with pace, Lopata is always up for the battle with the opposition striker and has rarely put a foot wrong in a Barnsley shirt.

In the summer, the 22-year-old made his intentions clear, saying that he wanted to be playing regular football and relished the fight for a place in Darrell Clarke's side. With the return from injury of Donovan Pines, new signing Marc Roberts, Josh Earl, and Mael De Gevigney all available in a back three formation favoured by Clarke, someone was always going to miss out. It seems a shame that the player appears to be Lopata.

Both Earl and De Givigney have been culpable of losing possession in key areas during games and Earl can struggle against quick wingers, most notably in the opening game of this season against the tricky Keanu Baccus of Mansfield Town. Despite this, Lopata has struggled to get game time, only managing minutes in the Carabao Cup victory at Wigan Athletic.

Whilst Clarke has to make selection decisions, the temporary exit of Lopata feels like the wrong one and could be something the League One club live to regret.