Josh Scowen expects to have several offers from rival clubs at the end of a successful first Championship season – but claims he would like to stay at Barnsley.
The 23-year-old midfielder's contract runs out at the end of this season and he is understood to have attracted the attentions of other clubs. The Reds are attempting to tie Scowen and fellow out-of-contract star Marley Watkins down to longer deals but head coach Paul Heckingbottom has admitted the club may have to wait until the summer.
Scowen told the Chronicle: "The negotiations are still ongoing. It will probably be a case of seeing what my options are at the end of the season. I am sure there will be a few options for me but I am happy at Barnsley and, if something can be arranged that suits me and the club, then I would be more than happy to stay."
Scowen has played in 29 of Barnsley's 34 league games this season, missing two recently due to an ankle injury and three in October after being sent off. He has already started more than he did all last season when he struggled to oust Josh Brownhill and Conor Hourihane and was squeezed into the team at right-back for the final games.
He said: "Last season was a tough one for me personally because I was out of the team."But I came back at the start of this season ready to fight for my place and I am over the moon with the number of games I have played. "I think I have performed well in the Championship and not looked out of my depth. It's not nice being injured. I have always been a quick healer and, as soon as it happened (at Reading on February 11) I just wanted to do what the physios told me and get back as quick as I could."
Scowen – who returned to the side on Saturday – is due to come up against Derby and QPR this week and is hoping for a repeat of the August week when the newly-promoted Reds beat them both at Oakwell. He says the team is as good now as it was then following the loss of Hourihane and top-scorer Sam Winnall.
"At the start of the season we were taking teams by surprise but now they are prepared for us. We are still good enough to get results against anyone. We won against Derby and QPR earlier in the season and hopefully we can do it again this week.
"I think we are as strong as we were at the start of the season. We have lost some good players but we have brought in some good players like Jamo (Matty James). We have a strong squad to have a good end to the season. Players leaving hasn't disrupted us at all. We just wish them all the best and move on."
