It may seem odd to say that Oxford are in a better position now than they were last year when they sat eight places higher and just five points off the top – but there are some reasons why they are actually better placed for a late season charge this time round.
Think back to this time last year. After reaching the
heights of second place for the start of 2020 (we thought it would be so good
then), Oxford lost back-to-back league games for the first time in over four
months after a drubbing by Rotherham followed a narrow loss to Doncaster.
This wasn’t a crisis though. After all, Oxford were still
fourth in the table and on track to battle for an automatic promotion place.
The arrival of returning hero Marcus Browne and the promising
youngster Nathan Holland a week earlier only expanded the good feeling around
the club.
However, when you’re playing like that in League One,
January is not a good time of year.
The big clubs were circling, and Oxford didn’t have much of
a say in what happened about any of it.
Derby and Leeds were said to be interested in Cameron
Brannagan – though his unfortunate injury a month earlier damaged prospects of
a winter move – and fellow midfielder Shandon Baptiste – who had been electric for the few months prior to this – was also attracting
interest from the likes of Celtic.
Dickie – though arguably the best of them – wasn’t gaining
as much attention but there were still threats on his Oxford United status.
Rumblings over Matty Taylor being recalled even cropped up,
and Chris Cadden had departed at the start of January.
Oxford’s season depended almost entirely on the action of
other clubs.
The signing of Liam Kelly seemed a perfect fit for a departing
Brannagan, whilst Marcus Browne’s arrival hinted at the likes of Baptiste
leaving the club.
Baptiste was the one to go – moving to Brentford – as well as
the most surprising of all of them as Tarique Fosu also left to join Thomas
Frank’s promotion charge.
And along with them, Oxford lost more than a fifth of their league goals.
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| Baptiste and Fosu both moved to Brentford for a slim fee on deadline day last year. |
To make matters worse they did it with just hours to spare
on deadline day – giving Robinson no opportunity to find a replacement.
This confusion and disruption undoubtably had an effect on
Oxford’s January as they picked up just two points from their four league fixtures.
Oxford ended up being fine – if not better – in the long run
that year, but it still feels like for the benefit of peace of mind and squad
depth, United are better positioned this time round as there will be far less concern over departing players.
Marcus McGuane
It’s no surprise that some people are concerned Marcus
McGuane is in danger of being recalled in January – his ability to play as
number 8, 10 or on the wing makes him a player right out of the mould of
someone like Marcus Browne.
This makes him a viable option for Nottingham
Forest, but some factors make a return to his parent club highly unlikely in
January.
The one benefit of him taking a while to hit his stride is
that teams may not have noticed him yet.
Out of the side for considerable points of this season, there
is no reason to think that he could succeed at championship level this year. Recent
performances for Oxford suggest that he probably could, but the likelihood of
Forest taking a risk on this seems outlandish.
The fact that Nottingham Forest also have one of the largest
squads in the league – 32 at date – makes a decision to bring back another
player even less probable when big names such as Zach Clough and Michael Hefele
have been left side-lined this year to save squad space.
So McGuane seems safe at Oxford for the rest of the season.
Cameron Brannagan
Arguably, Cameron Brannagan is the unluckiest footballer in
England right now.
His stunning form at the start of last season had him on the radar of many championship and even premier league clubs.
Leeds United have long declared an interest in the
24-year-old, and he arguably would have been playing premiership football with
them had it not been for a knee injury which put an end to his good form.
After signing a new contract – presumably to secure his
services for at least six months and bump up his price for January or next summer,
as it seemed optimistic Oxford could keep him until 2023 when his current deal runs out –
Brannagan caught a viral eye infection, something that effects only two people in
the UK each year. I’d call that pretty unlucky.
But it does mean a move away seems to be avoided once more,
and Oxford will be hoping that his return to fitness – he played a brief cameo
in their thrashing of Burton – will lead to greater success for him and oxford
on the pitch.
A settled squad
A three-year deal for Taylor makes his unlikely return to
the championship now a virtual impossibility, whilst the muted interest from
Blackburn in Alex Gorrin seems to have died down, making Oxford’s current squad
pretty settled.
It means Robinson can focus on going the other way.
Joel Cooper’s unfortunate return to Northern Ireland for the
rest of the season does mean another squad space has been cleared up, and for a
team on the rise as oxford seem to be, it would be an inviting place to come in
January.
Jordan Obita’s free transfer was a masterstroke from
Robinson, and it means that Oxford have a deep squad in these chaotic times. He
ticked the box for a left back and left winger, whilst an additional centre
back may be the only position still of real need – and even that would only be
back up.
Jack Stevens’ success since taking the gloves means that a goalkeeper is no longer necessary, and it is easy to forget that Sam Winnall still sits on the bench awaiting a return.
It means neither the back four or front men are in need of replacing, and Brannagan may find it hard to find a place in Oxford's midfield given how their performing - and the fact that Forde and Hanson are also struggling for minutes whilst Mark Sykes is no longer in the picture at all.
There may still be some departures in January, but they will
be on Oxford’s own terms – most likely just loan moves if any do materialise.
With the financial situation looking dire for many clubs and squads seeming stretched, the fact Oxford have players like Forde, Hall, Clare and many more ready to come into the fold whenever needed – as well as Cameron Brannagan and Sam Winnall returning to action - could see United faring much better with the crowded fixture list than others, and the squad seems safe from the higher league vultures too.
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