Andreas Winkler ‘cannot guarantee’ that Brad Potts will be the last Barnsley player to be sold in the January transfer window but believes the squad will still be strong enough for promotion at the end of the month.
The Reds sold the 24-year-old midfielder to Championship club Preston North End last Thursday for a fee of slightly more than £1.5million, which head coach Daniel Stendel called ‘not the best decision.’
Other players such as top-scorer Kieffer Moore, winger Mamadou Thiam and star centre-back Ethan Pinnock have been linked with moves away from the club.
Barnsley are currently fifth in League One as they look for an immediate return to the Championship following relegation last season.
Coach Winkler said: “I hope that no more players go but I cannot make any promises or guarantees. But I can guarantee that everyone at the club wants to give us a strong squad that can win promotion.
"There is a thin line between good performances and having players that other clubs want to sign. If you look at the list of scouts at Oakwell games, they come from the leagues above us and other countries to watch our players.
“We were really disappointed that Brad left us. But that is how it is in the transfer windows. We have to look forward. We always have good conversations with the recruitment team and Gauthier (Ganaye, the chief executive).
“Sometimes it is necessary to sell a player. Other clubs are losing players and their manager as well (Nathan Jones moved from second-placed Luton Town to Stoke City this week). That is how it is. Maybe we didn’t expect that Preston would put such a great offer to Barnsley. “We can’t believe the amount. He’s worth it but it is a lot of money for League One.”
The Reds are unlikely to make a signing before the weekend for the first team. They are hoping to bolster their under 23s squad with an overseas signing in the coming days but are waiting for international clearance.
Reports that Barnsley are set to move for Sunderland striker Andrew Nelson, who has netted six goals in five games on loan to non-league Darlington, are untrue.
Winkler said: “We would be satisfied if the squad was the same as it is now at the end of the window. If we sign another player, we will be happy, but we trust this squad and we can go on with this squad. If the club signs a player, he has to be capable of fitting with our squad.
“If we don’t have that, it doesn’t make sense to sign a player. It wouldn’t surprise me if we made transfers. But our team is strong enough to stay in this position. I would be happy if we can work with this squad until the end of the season.
“Every player knows our style, they know the philosophy and they know all the surroundings. We have signed three players last summer – Kenny Dougall, Mike Bahre and Cauley Woodrow – and all three players are in the starting 11. So the club has done very well.”
Potts, previously a central midfielder, had been playing mainly on the right wing this season with converted striker Thiam on the left. Wales international wingers Ryan Hedges and Lloyd Isgrove have struggled for gametime under Stendel and have suffered with injuries.
Hedges played in place of Potts in the FA Cup loss at Burnley on Saturday but struggled to make an impact while Isgrove has not been in the last five squads after making his second league appearance of the season last month.
Winkler told the Chronicle: “We have wingers. We have Mamadou, we have Ryan Hedges and also George (Moncur) and Mike (Bahre) can play on the wing. “We can play different formations, not just 4-4-2.”
Potts was seen as a key component of Stendel’s pressing and counter-attacking style and was the second top-scorer with seven goals.
Winkler said: “Brad Potts has a great right foot and scores goals and makes assists but he did not fit really 100 per cent to our style. He was not a winger or a holding midfielder but he adapted very well to our style. He had a good six months with us and we gave him a lot for his career.”
On the sale of Potts, Stendel told the Chronicle: “We noticed that the atmosphere after he left was very sad from the players and from all the staff.
“We lost a good player and a good person. But, after he signed a contract with Preston, we can only look to the future and we have a lot of good players so other players have the chance to show good performances.”
He added: “In the end, it’s not my decision. It is a loss for our team on the pitch and off the pitch. I am very disappointed that he left the club but I can only wish him all the best. We spoke on the phone and had a good talk after he left. For us, it’s not the best decision.”
