Oxford United's Tyler Goodrham fear eased amid previous Middlesbrough and Coventry City links | OneFootball

The decision to tie Goodrham down to a new contract is looking like a very shrewd move from the U's.

Tyler Goodrham is looking comfortable in the Championship already, just a matter of months after his Oxford United side were promoted from League One.

The winger was an important player for the U's last season and played a big part in their promotion-winning 2023/24 campaign but he has been able to take his game to a new level this season.

He opened his account for the season with a wonderful curling shot against Preston North End to make it 2-1 to the hosts at the Kassam Stadium and it was a strike that ended up being crucial in the end, as his side came away from the game with all three points.

The 21-year-old also executed a wonderful shot at Kenilworth Road against Luton Town, which was the start of a comeback against the Hatters.

His strike on the stroke of half-time halved the deficit and Ruben Rodrigues added a second for Oxford to take a point away from Bedfordshire.

It could even be argued that Goodrham should have had a penalty in Bedfordshire, but his strong claim was waved away.

A small goal drought followed after that, but he was back on the scoresheet last weekend against Millwall, with his excellent late strike helping Des Buckingham's side to rescue a point against Millwall.

The U's didn't play well last Saturday and Goodrham was fairly quiet against the Lions, with the 21-year-old struggling to impose himself on the game for much of the tie, though he did have a first-half effort saved after his trickery allowed him to carve out a decent chance.

His strike against Neil Harris' side reinforced just how important he is for Oxford in their quest to remain in the Championship beyond the end of the 2024/25 campaign, with his quality in the final third likely to be important between now and the end of the season.

Oxford United's contract decision on Tyler Goodrham

Back in July, not too long after their play-off final win, they moved to tie Goodrham down to a new contract.

The length of that deal remains undisclosed, but he put pen to paper on a "long-term" deal to extend his stay at the Kassam Stadium.

With this in mind, they should be feeling fairly confident of retaining the winger beyond the end of the January window.

Oxford United's Tyler Goodrham action should pay dividends during the January window

Goodrham has been linked with a move away from the Kassam Stadium before, with Hull City, Middlesbrough and Coventry City all reported to be interested in the player in January this year.

The Oxford academy graduate scored against the Sky Blues earlier that month in the FA Cup - and he could still be a useful asset for Frank Lampard's side.

Goodrham is often at his best when he's on the wing and this is an area that the Midlands side may be keen to strengthen during the January transfer window.

Even with the likes of Ephron Mason-Clark and Tatsuhiro Sakamoto available as decent options in this area, it wouldn't hurt Coventry to invest more in this department.

Boro could also benefit from Goodrham. Right now, Ben Doak and Finn Azaz are doing an excellent job behind Emmanuel Latte Lath, but having Goodrham on the opposite side to Doak could make the Teesside outfit an even more lethal force in the final third.

Both Boro and Coventry have shown a willingness to spend in the past, so they could have moved for the Oxford star in January.

Considering how important he has been this term, not just in terms of scoring, but also creating chances and proving to be a very tricky player for defenders to deal with, Buckingham's side simply must retain him beyond the end of the January window.

His long-term contract is likely to allow the U's to fend off interest in his signature, so their decision to tie him down to a new deal in July looks to be a shrewd one and will ease Oxford fears about losing him soon.