Barnsley FC told to avoid "nightmare" triple transfer exit - "it would be awful" | OneFootball

FLW's Barnsley fan pundit has outlined what he believes the club's nightmare summer looks like

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 finished last season 12th in League One, regressing from their play-off finish the previous year.

Conor Hourihane took charge of the Tykes in March following Darrell Clarke’s departure and will now have his full attention on how to prepare the club best for next season.

Despite Birmingham City and Wrexham securing promotion to the Championship, the third-tier is set to be as hotly contested for as ever, with the likes of Cardiff City, Plymouth Argyle and Luton Town likely to be competing at the top.

Therefore, the Tykes must nail the summer window if they are to be able to fight up at the sharp end of League One next term.

Football League World’s Barnsley fan pundit, Andy Symcox, has outlined what the club must avoid doing this summer to position themselves best ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

Barnsley’s nightmare scenario highlighted this summer

“We have been crying out at Oakwell for a striker who can lead the line effectively for a long while and this again did not materialise last season,” explained Andy.

“Despite this, our biggest problem was not scoring goals but conceding them both from collective defending and particularly through individual mistakes. It is no surprise that throughout the season we used five goalkeepers, four of whom were injured for parts of it.

“For me a nightmare would be that our goalkeepers that we either have at the club or bring to the club get injured during pre-season. It wouldn't surprise me given our track record over the last season, so that would be a nightmare.

“Alongside that, it would be awful if we sold players such as Davis Keillor-Dunn and Adam Phillips, plus Jonathan Russell, as these three accounted for most of our goals.

“As I stated earlier, we have been crying out for a long while to have a striker leading the line, but these are the ones who have scored the goals. We have already lost Stephen Humphrys. Losing these players would be, in my personal view, utter nightmarish.”

Barnsley must cover all bases this summer

Last season saw the Tykes perform strongly in front of goal, with only five teams in the division netting more than them across 46 games.

Stephen Humphrys netted nine times for Barnsley last season but will feature for fellow third-tier outfit Bradford City next term, so Hourihane will have to replace that source of goals.

That said, Davis Keillor-Dunn and Jonathan Russell scored 29 times between them and if Barnsley can keep that duo, they should feel somewhat secure about their attacking capabilities.

However, a bigger cause for concern is the Tykes’ defence, with just four sides in League One conceding more than the Yorkshire outfit last year.

Therefore, addressing their issues at the back will be the issue of the day for Hourihane and Co.

As mentioned by Andy, the club’s goalkeeping situation last season wouldn’t have benefited their defensive problems in any way.

To avoid leaking more goals next term, Hourihane must shore up his backline this window whilst securing his source of goals.

QPR 'keeper Murphy Cooper is reportedly set to join Barnsley on loan, which would somewhat address that issue.

If the 34-year-old can do this successfully, Barnsley can feel confident about fighting back towards the League One play-off places in the 2025/26 campaign.