‘Not entirely convinced’, ‘Get it done’ – Barnsley rival Nottingham Forest in chase for 26-y/o: The verdict | OneFootball

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Football League World

·13 June 2021

‘Not entirely convinced’, ‘Get it done’ – Barnsley rival Nottingham Forest in chase for 26-y/o: The verdict

Article image:‘Not entirely convinced’, ‘Get it done’ – Barnsley rival Nottingham Forest in chase for 26-y/o: The verdict

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict’ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Barnsley enjoyed a fantastic season last time out as they reached the play-offs but unfortunately for the Tykes it ended in disappointment as they were beaten by Swansea over two legs.


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Nevertheless, attention will already have switched to next the next campaign and boss Valérien Ismaël will already be working on new signings.

And, according to Football Insider, Emiliano Marcondes is a target for the club. The attacking midfielder is set to be released later this month after helping Brentford to promotion, although Nottingham Forest are rivalling Barnsley for his signature.

So, would Emiliano be a good signing for the Yorkshire side? Here our writers share their thoughts…

Alfie Burns

Emiliano would really suit Barnsley’s style of football.

They like to get on the front foot and play at a high tempo, not dissimilar to the system he was used to at Brentford

Ismael strikes me as the type of manager that would get the best out of Emiliano, too, so it only adds to my belief that he would be a top signing for Barnsley this summer

The Tykes have to be ambitious this summer and evolve the squad rather than standing still. It’s the only way they can ensure that last year was no fluke.

What better statement to make than going and getting the man that made the difference in the play-off final.

Can you name each of these 17 ex-Barnsley players just by looking at these 3 clues?

Article image:‘Not entirely convinced’, ‘Get it done’ – Barnsley rival Nottingham Forest in chase for 26-y/o: The verdict

Ben Wignall

I’m not entirely convinced that Emiliano would fit in Barnsley and Valerien Ismael’s system.

Even though he has played deeper in midfield for Brentford, I think that Marcondes’ best and most effective position is in the attacking midfield or ‘number 10’ role, and that’s not really how Ismael operates.

Alex Mowatt and Romal Palmer are the two in midfield and then there are three strikers or forwards in-front of them utilising the high press, and I couldn’t really see Marcondes slotting into either area.

That’s not to say that Marcondes isn’t a good player – he’s clearly a talent and he’s done a good job for Brentford over the years.

But unless Ismael changed his formation to fit in an attacking midfielder then I think Marcondes would be best served elsewhere in another system that would get the best out of his abilities.

Chris Gallagher

This would be an outstanding signing for Barnsley.

The Tykes enjoyed a superb season last time out but they need that extra bit of quality in the final third to try and take the next step next season and Emiliano would provide that.

He is intelligent in the way he finds space in the final third and technically he is very good, so there’s no reason why he wouldn’t become an important player under Ismael.

Of course, it’s not going to be easy for Barnsley to finalise this deal considering the rival interest in the player but the Yorkshire outfit need to do all they can to get it done.

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