Barnsley set to raid League One rivals for left-sided defender | OneFootball

Sitting just five points behind the automatic promotion spots in League One, Barnsley are in a good position to give the final few months of the 2023-24 season a real good go.

The Tykes will not want to have to rely on the play-offs once again following last season's late Wembley heartbreak at the hands of Sheffield Wednesday in extra time, but that is what they may have to settle for, even with one of the league's top scorers in Devante Cole in their starting 11.

Recently, Neil Collins' side have been in good form and had been unbeaten in 11 matches until they lost to struggling Exeter City at Oakwell on Saturday afternoon, and that surprise defeat has perhaps prompted the Barnsley hierarchy to get busy in the final few days of the transfer window.

And they are closing in on defensive reinforcements in the final few days of the January transfer window in which they are set to raid a League One rival - albeit not a direct promotion one.

Fleetwood Town defender close to Barnsley move

The Tykes are keen to add Josh Earl from struggling Lancashire outfit Fleetwood Town, according to a report from journalist Alan Nixon via his Patreon account, and the South Yorkshire side believe they are close to doing just that.

The 25-year-old, who can play at left-back, wing-back or centre-back, signed for the Cod Army from Preston North End and has played 61 times in League One for them since.

However, with his contract set to expire at Highbury this summer, it appears that Charlie Adam is ready to cash in on him before the February 1 deadline, in a move which would bolster Collins' options in two different defensive positions.

Earl came through the PNE youth system, making his debut in 2017 at the age of just 18, and his early performances as a teenager for the Lilywhites led to interest from both Liverpool and Everton at the end of that year.

He went on a series of loan spells from the 2019-20 season onwards though after falling out of favour under Alex Neil, playing for Bolton, Ipswich and Burton Albion all in League One over a two-year period.

Despite appearing 29 times in the Championship in 2021-22 for North End, Earl was allowed to join Fleetwood in the summer of 2022 on a permanent basis, and unlike his time at PNE, where he was mainly a left-back or wing-back, Earl played mostly as a centre-back in his 44 matches in all competitions.

This season, Earl has split his time pretty equally between left-back and the left-hand side of a back three, and he can offer Barnsley a lot of versatility if they can strike a deal for his services.

Earl is ideal cheap option for Barnsley at left centre-back

If there is one area that Barnsley aren't very strong in, it's on the left-hand side of their defensive options.

Most of Collins' centre-back choices are right-footed, and that creates somewhat of an imbalance when it comes to selecting the best players on paper - Jamie McCart has been playing on that side for the most part though and with his backup in Jack Shepherd still very inexperienced in the professional game, it isn't a shock that Earl is being targeted.

Earl would bring considerable height to the back-line as he stands at 6 ft 4 in, but he's also quite mobile and able to get up and down the pitch, which is why he can effectively play the role of a wing-back.

He isn't going to get into the starting 11 in that position ahead of Nicky Cadden, but the left centre-back role is up for grabs, and that is where you'd expect Earl to come in and make an impact.