"No great surprise" - Reaction given as Barnsley FC confirm big off-pitch update | OneFootball

FLW's Barnsley fan pundit has given his verdict on Mladen Sormaz's exit from the club

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…

Barnsley have confirmed the departure of their sporting director Mladen Sormaz this week.

The Tykes released a statement on their official website, claiming that the decision was made through mutual consent.

Sormaz was appointed in February 2024, and was a crucial figure behind the scenes during this time.

He was heavily involved in the recruitment process, as well as the decision to appoint Conor Hourihane as manager earlier this year.

Sormaz has come under criticism by supporters at Barnsley, with a lot of fans expressing that this is a positive development for the club.

Mladen Sormaz's Barnsley exit claim

When asked if he agreed that this was a positive move for the Tykes, FLW’s Barnsley fan pundit Andy Symcox claimed that this is the right decision for the club.

He believes the recruitment in the January window earlier this year was abysmal, and that their summer signings didn’t do enough to turn the tide of opinion against him, even if it was an improvement on the previous window.

“Regarding Mladen leaving Barnsley Football Club, it comes with no great surprise to me,” Symcox told Football League World.

“We had a disastrous January transfer window earlier this year, and there were disgruntled Barnsley fans, that including myself.

“Recruitment was better in the summer, but there are still shortages, particularly in the striker role, that have made it difficult for us, given suspensions, injuries and losses of form.

“I’m surprised it’s taken as long as it has, although I have to say I do not like to see anybody losing their job and livelihood.

“I think that by mutual consent is sometimes a euphemism and not necessarily what has actually happened, but I wish Mladen the best in the future.”

Barnsley are aiming to fight for promotion to the Championship this season, as they seek a return at the fourth attempt, having previously reached the play-off final in 2023.

The Tykes finished an underwhelming 12th in the previous campaign, with the side coming 17 points behind sixth place Leyton Orient, leaving them well outside the play-offs.

Hourihane’s side have made a promising start to the new campaign, with the team sitting eighth and with a game in hand on some of their rivals.

Next up for Barnsley in the league is a trip to face Wycombe Wanderers on 4 October in a 12.30pm kick-off.

Mladen Sormaz departure will be welcome at Barnsley

Sormaz’s appointment was a bold step forward for Barnsley, but it just wasn’t quite working out.

After over 18 months, there’s no harm in deciding that it’s not working and trying something else.

The Tykes’ recruitment has seen them go from competing in the play-off final to coming 12th in the League One table, so it’s clear that it wasn’t working.

But things have improved this season, and it could be a good time to make this change behind the scenes while Hourihane is bringing the club in a forward direction.