Every January fans around the Oxfordshire area and beyond enter the month with an optimistic sense of hope. Hope of new signings, new fire power, new excitement.
But as with all the other expectations of January, this slowly
fizzles out into the dawning realization that nothing of significance is going
to happen for a while yet, and this season seems no different.
The arrivals of Nathan Holland and Marcus Browne in the
opening week of the transfer window last time round may have offered some hope
to United fans, but Oxford’s usual policy of promise big and eventually deliver
a couple of loan signings on deadline day seems to be back in place for Karl
Robinson’s 3rd January transfer window as Oxford United boss.
But Robinson promises there will be news to come in this
department, and in the first part of a new January mini-series, this article
takes a look at a few players who may fit the bill at Oxford. It evaluates three possible target's and look at their strengths and weaknesses, and ultimately offers a rating for how likely the signing is to happening.
Name: Luke Thomas
Age: 21
Current club: Barnsley
Position: RW
Availability: Loan/small fee
Likelihood (10 = highest likelihood): 6/10
Several sources have linked Luke Thomas with a move away
from Barnsley this winter, and Oxford are one of a series of League One clubs interested in the winger’s signature.
The form of Shodipo and Obita has meant the right side of
the front three is the most likely position to be built upon in January, and Thomas
would give Oxford flexibility in whether they wished to sign him on a permanent
basis or on loan.
Thomas has made 18 championship appearances so far this
season, but has largely failed to contribute for Barnsley, with no goals and
registering just one assist in these matches.
Though the South Yorkshire side are said to be favouring a
loan – having only brought him in from Derby for in excess of £1 million two seasons
ago, they will want some time before offloading the youngster – they are thought to be willing to part ways with Thomas should the
right price be offered.
The usual cohort of Sunderland, Ipswich and Peterborough
have all been linked, but given United would probably benefit from a loan move
themselves, they hold a large chance in recruiting the winger.
He would seem a good fit for Oxford too.
In his last full season in the championship with Barnsley,
he averaged 1.8 take ones per game at a success rate of 59.46%. To put that
into context, both those figures are higher than Oxford’s current most
dangerous wide man in Shodipo, who tallies 1.2 and 37.5% respectively this season.
He also offers an individual threat that Oxford may be
craving, averaging 2 chances created per game last season – once again far
higher than Shodipo – and his ability to create from nothing is the kind of
strength Oxford are looking for on their bench.
However, like so many of these players, Thomas’s struggles
lye in his final product.
He has only scored one goal across his 57 appearances for Barnsley, and his goal participation rate of 3% this season illustrates how
he is not the finished article.
He averages less crosses and shots per game than Shodipo, and this may mean he is not be able to provide the kind of impact Oxford need.
Name: Dujon Sterling
Age: 21
Current Club: Chelsea
Position: RB/RM
Avaliability: Loan
Likelihood: 3/10
Dujon Sterling is a name that Oxford fans may be familiar with from his time at Coventry,
and though a loan move down to League One may seem unlikely given the 21-year-olds potential
trajectory, it is not off the cards.
That successful loan spell at then League One Coventry two
years ago was followed by a less successful season at Wigan last year, where
injury limited him to only 10 appearances for the club.
It meant that he returned to Chelsea in the summer with the
ambition of getting back on the pitch, but having not made a senior appearance
this season, many sources are suggesting Chelsea would be inetrested in loaning Sterling out for additional game time in January.
With this in mind, Oxford may be thinking this is a
chance for them to make an unlikely swoop for a player who would undoubtedly fit
their criteria.
Sterling has played most of his football at right back but,
like Obita, is more than able to fill in further up the wing.
His pace and tricky dribbling would offer Robinson his solution to the attacking full back dilemma, giving Oxford a different dynamic to Long when playing teams who set up to defend deep.
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| Dujon Sterling's stats from Coventry and Wigan loan spells compared to Sam Long's contribution this season |
Unsurprisingly, Long dominates on the defensive aspects of the
game – 3.8 clearances per game compared to Sterling’s 0.3 and averaging 1.8
more interceptions and tackles per match than Sterling – but this is unlikely
to deter any interest in him from Oxford.
As we have seen him do with Obita on the opposite flank, Robinson would most likely choose to operate him largely as a winger and would only
opt to remove Long at full back should the game’s situation require more impetus.
This is an option which Robinson is lacking in his side and – though Forde and Hanson could easily sit in a right back – the departure
of Clare leaves an obvious hole in that side, and Sterling’s speed, flare
and versatility would make him a perfect candidate to fill the role.
Name: Josh McEachran
Age: 27
Current club: Birmingham City
Position: CM/CAM
Availability: Small fee
Likelihood: 5/10
McEachran may not fit the mould of some of the other young names
on this list, but he could be a useful pro to draft in at a cut price fee - possibly even on a free - this January.
McEachran, formerly of Brentford and Chelsea, has been told by Birmingham boss Aitor Karanka that his time is up, and whether a move
happens this January or in the summer, his services are no longer required.
It comes as a disappointment for McEacrhan who joined
Birmingham on a free transfer in 2019 after a 4 year spell at Brentford. His
time at the blue’s was riddled with injuries, suffering a season ending ACL
injury halfway into his first season with the club, and it has been an uphill
journey ever since.
That journey appears to have come to an end and with Birmingham
keen to remove some wages from their bill in the lead up to an expensive new
restructuring of their youth set up, along with the financial difficulty Covid
has brought all clubs, Karanka would favour a transfer in January if possible and would listen to bids from Oxford.
Though McEacran would no doubt hope for another chance in the
championship, the likelihood of sides taking a risk on an injury prone veteran may
be small in the financial climate they find themselves in, and a drop down to League One seems to be a logical next step.
If this is the case, there are some factors which would make
Oxford a sensible location for the midfielder.
McEachran was born in Oxfordshire, and a move back to his
home town after spells in the Midlands and London may be appealing. Oxford as
a club also have a reputation of bringing people of his calibre in, taking
risks on players whose injury blows have meant they have struggled for higher level game time, and United often seem to be a home for championship drop downs attempting
to revitalise their careers.
Jamie Hanson, George Thorne and James Henry all fit under this
bracket, and McEachran would seemingly be a logical choice to continue the
trend and get him at a slender price too.
McEachran is a left footed centre midfielder who can play as
a number 6, 8 or 10 if required, and would seemingly fit well into Oxford’s
midfield three.
He has made over 150 championship appearances over his career,
although his meagre 11 goal contributions show how he has generally struggled
to make an impact.
In his eight championship appearances so far this season
though, he is showing he does have the quality to fit into Robinson’s side.
He has averaged 57.2 passes per game, that is more than any
of Oxford’s current midfield trio.
He has also averaged 1.4 chances created per match, bettered only in United’s midfield by Liam Kelly, and he also averages 2.8 take-ons per match which is more than double McGaune’s total and far better than any other United midfielder.
McEachran has a similar ability to Forde and Henry in his
drifting inside and out, finding spaces to pick up the ball and cross from
deep, averaging 5.4 open play crosses per game, which is the same as Henry and
only marginally behind Forde.
McEachran can also fit into Robinson’s all action style of
midfielder, more than able to do his defensive duties to, and you can just look at how he compares
to Alex Gorrin to see that.
Interestingly, fellow Birmingham teammate Dan Crowley has
also been told he is surplus to requirements at the Midlands club and has
been linked to many League One sides for loan moves, but a return for him to a team who he spent 4 months with three years ago seems unlikely.
Though for McEachran, it might not be out of the picture. Oxford won’t be frantically searching for another
midfielder, but the opportunity to get another experienced and technically
gifted player into the side is a real chance for Robinson.
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