Oxford United set to complete transfer raid for League Two left-back | OneFootball

Des Buckingham clearly wants to strengthen one side of his defensive unit, and he is set to raid AFC Wimbledon

Oxford United have agreed a deal with AFC Wimbledon for the transfer of defender Jack Currie, who is now set to join the newly promoted Championship side.

The South London Press has reported that Currie, 22, is to become the latest addition to Des Buckingham's team in what has been a busy summer window for the U's.

The left-back was set to become a free agent this summer, but the Dons activated a clause in his contract which extended his stay with the club by a further year.

AFC Wimbledon are now set to benefit from this move, with a fee to be paid to them by Oxford for the services of Currie.

He was one of the more impressive players in his position in League Two last season, displaying strengths on both the attacking and defensive sides of the ball.

Currie appeared 35 times for the Dons in the league last time out, taking his total number of appearances for the club to 95.

Oxford United are strengthening ahead of return to EFL Championship

Buckingham is going to have plenty of competition for that left-back spot next season, if the Currie deal gets over the line.

Oxford announced the signing of fellow League One promotion winner Louie Sibley yesterday, who joined after leaving his boyhood club, Derby County.

Alongside Currie coming in, further reinforcements at the back were made earlier in the window. Peter Kioso was signed by the U's from Rotherham United following their relegation from the second tier.

They also brought back goalkeeper Jamie Cumming after his loan spell at the Kassam Stadium in the second half of the 2023/24 campaign. 20-year-old former West Ham United man Jacob Knightbridge was also added to their keeper's union.

Elsewhere on the pitch, the U's have acquired Will Vaulks following the expiration of his deal with Sheffield Wednesday.

Oxford United are setting themselves up to be competitive following transfer splurge

The trend of teams coming up in the EFL and then going straight back down has largely been bucked; in fact, the only team that this happened to last season was Carlisle United.

Two teams that were in Oxford's position this time last season came nerve-janglingly close to the drop - Wednesday and Plymouth Argyle - but both managed to survive in the end.

Confidence should be taken from this by Oxford, and it should be boosted again by what they are doing in the summer window.

Other than the loss of play-off final hero Josh Murphy to Portsmouth, they have largely kept the group intact. That is a proven recipe for survival, at the least, for teams that get promoted.

The quality of the league that they are entering also works in their favour. Three amazing teams in Leicester City, Ipswich Town and Southampton are no longer in the Championship, and the likes of Birmingham City going down should make the U's life a bit easier as well.