MLADEN Sormaz insists Barnsley will not be pressured to sell any key players this summer after failing to regain promotion to the Championship.
The Reds are planning a third consecutive season in League One for the first time since 2005-06.
Their team has been substantially depleted due to the departure of numerous key players who chose to leave the club at the end of their current contracts. Jordan Williams, Devante Cole, Herbie Kane, and Nicky Cadden all leave, with Barnsley receiving nothing in return and having to replace them.
Bringing in high-quality replacements will be difficult, and some existing contractual players may garner attention throughout the offseason.
They include Fabio Jalo, a Portuguese under-19 striker, as well as Adam Phillips and Luca Connell, both midfielders.
Jalo, 18, whose form has been monitored by top clubs both domestically and internationally, signed a new deal in January that commits him to Oakwell until June 2027, with the club having the option to add an extra year. Connell’s four-year contract extends through the end of 2026-27, while Phillips’ contract expires in the summer of 2026.
Sporting director Sormaz stated: “To be honest, we don’t want to sell anyone.
“Most of the time with our best players, someone has to come in with silly money for any of our best players to leave.
“The good thing is that we have got our best players locked down on long-term contracts, so we’ve got leverage. “But we don’t want anyone who can contribute next season, especially at the top end of League One, to leave. Offers could come in, that can always happen in football. But we don’t have any plans to sell.”
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Incoming as opposed to outgoing transfers are likely to be the major thrust during the summer window.
Alongside four main departures, the Reds – who remain keen on bringing former captain Conor Hourihane back to the club after his release from Derby –
They have also lost key loanees John McAtee and Liam Roberts.
Sormaz went on to say, “We believe that when everyone is healthy, the nucleus of the club is powerful defensively. We certainly need a new left back/wing-back, as well as a permanent answer for a goalkeeper and replacements for Devante and Kane.But we want to keep the rest of the personnel where they are. I believe that many of the remaining first-team players will be able to contribute next season. There will undoubtedly be some changes, but we are not looking for turnover for the sake of turnover, and we are very focused on bringing in players who are better and will enhance us for starters, and then doing what
is best for the rest of the team. On the possibility of Roberts, who is out of contract at Middlesbrough, returning, he said: “Anyone who did well last season, we are looking into that. It is up to them to see what else is on the market and whether they wish to return.
“I believe he had a good time. “We’ll work on that.”
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