Barnsley FC transfer concern raised - it needs to be fixed | OneFootball

FLW's Barnsley pundit has disclosed what he wants to see improved upon at the club this summer.

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 FC have had a season to forget with the Tykes' dreadful form in 2025 costing them a shot at the play-offs.

A team long accustomed to competing near the top end of League One, this season simply hasn’t gone to plan.

Despite a promising first half of the campaign that saw them sitting 5th after 25 games, the following 20 matches have been nothing short of a disaster.

Only four teams have recorded fewer wins in that time, and just four victories from those fixtures have seen them slump to 12th heading into the final game of the season.

Unsurprisingly, the poor run of form has sparked upheaval off the pitch.

Darrell Clarke was shown the door, with senior player Conor Hourihane initially stepping in as interim manager. He has since been appointed on a permanent basis and will be aiming to lead a much-improved push for at least the play-offs in 2025–26 as the club sets its sights on a return to the Championship.

Barnsley's recruitment process needs improvement

This sobering season has sparked discontent among supporters and those within the club will know just how pivotal it is to get the Tykes back on track next year.

Speaking to Football League World's resident Barnsley pundit, Andy Symcox, we wanted to find out what main issue the club needs to fix this summer. For Symcox, there was only one answer: a much-improved transfer window is right at the top of his list.

"As with most clubs, we have a number of issues that need to be dealt with this coming summer," Symcox told FLW.

"For me, the most important is to review and improve the recruitment process. It was not successful whatsoever in January - far from it.

"It needs to be right this summer, particularly defensively."

Recruitment will be crucial for Barnsley in a potentially turbulent summer

As Symcox alluded to, an improved recruitment process will be key for Hourihane’s Barnsley this summer - made all the more important by chairman Neerav Parekh’s recent comments regarding potential player sales.

Speaking to The Yorkshire Post in March about the summer window, he said: "I think all fans think their club is a selling club. Barnsley have, over the last few years, probably sold a lot less than our rivals and what we historically did as well.

"That will have to reverse a bit and I think we will have to balance the books. That said, a good chunk of that money will be invested back into the squad, not necessarily in transfer fees but wages as well, which is the largest component really. Some of that will obviously breach the shortfall we have every year."

The lack of talk around transfer fees suggests that the Tykes will be eyeing the free agent and loan market. However, the biggest concern will be Parekh's talk of having to "balance the books". Barnsley have a host of hot talent and the likes of Adam Phillips, Davis Keillor-Dunn and Jonathan Russell are sure to attract some interest from the tier above.

Supporters may not head into the summer window feeling particularly optimistic, and another poor summer of recruitment could see the Tykes consigned to a mid-table finish once again.