Barnsley: Heckingbottom insists door is closed on Reds departures

Head coach Paul Heckingbottom is adamant Barnsley can ill afford to lose more players.
Josh ScowenJosh Scowen
Josh Scowen

The Reds head into today’s deadline day having already sold key trio Sam Winnall, James Bree and Conor Hourihane in the January transfer window.

The three influential players were all out of contract in the summer.

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Star striker Winnall jumped ship for quadruple wages at rivals Sheffield Wednesday, while promising right-back Bree and former captain Hourihane both left for Aston Villa.

Heckingbottom has found adequate replacements but another significant departure would leave a gaping hole, and a race against time to find a replacement.

“We can’t afford to sell any more because we’ve got no players,” said Heckingbottom, who recently described the club as a “conveyor belt” for bigger outfits.

“Thankfully there’ have been no more bids for our players, just lots of speculation.

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“The door’s shut on any outgoings. We just simply cannot entertain it because of the lack of numbers here.”

With the Reds losing key figures, Heckingbottom is hopeful of getting another couple through the door at Oakwell.

Meanwhile, Heckingbottom played down rumours of midfielder Josh Scowen rejecting a contract extension, stating talks of a new deal are “ongoing”.

Stefan Payne has joined Shrewsbury Town on loan until the end of the season.

The Reds will be looking to continue their surge towards the Championship play-off places as they host Wolves under the lights at Oakwell tonight.