Barnsley set to face League One competition for Stoke City transfer deal | OneFootball

Niall Ennis is a January target for Barnsley and other League One clubs, with Stoke City set to allow the forward to leave.

Versatile forward Niall Ennis is a target for Barnsley and other League One clubs in January, with Stoke City set to allow the 25-year-old to depart next month.

Ennis became Stoke's final signing of the January 2024 window when he made the switch from Blackburn Rovers, with the Lancashire Telegraph claiming that "the fee is in the region of 500,000 with future add-ons also included in the agreement".

It had looked as though Ennis would be making a switch to League One in January, with Bolton Wanderers, Barnsley and Oxford United all said to have been keen, but Stoke swooped late in the window to offer him another chance in the Championship.

The move, at the time, saw Ennis reunite with Steven Schumacher after the pair worked together previously at Plymouth, but given his struggles at Ewood Park that season, there were question marks over the deal.

Ennis thrived under Schumacher at Plymouth, scoring 14 goals and providing seven assists in 45 appearances in all competitions to help the Pilgrims to the League One title last season, earning him the move to Blackburn in the summer on a free.

However, Ennis found it tough in Lancashire, with injury limiting him to just 13 appearances for Rovers in the first half of the campaign, and his only goal for the club came against Walsall in the EFL Cup in August. Now, Barnsley could be one of a number of clubs in League One that are set to revive their interest.

Niall Ennis set for Stoke City exit with Barnsley keen

After his move to the Potteries was confirmed, Ennis said that he has played his best football of his career under Schumacher, and reuniting with his former manager could be what he needs to get his career back on track.

Stoke became his third new permanent club in three seasons, but he has struggled at both Blackburn Rovers and the Potters, and has found the step-up to the Championship hard, especially since Schumacher's departure earlier in the season.

Since joining, he has failed to nail down a regular spot in the Potters side, with just seven league starts to his name during his time at the bet365 Stadium. He has featured in just nine games so far this term, without any goals or assists to his name, as per Transfermarkt.

Now, Darren Witcoop is reporting that Barnsley are among the League One sides that are keen on Ennis, who is expected to leave Stoke next month. Speaking via his X account in the summer, League One duo Wrexham and Barnsley were keen on his services ahead of a potential deadline day departure.

Though it never materialised, Ennis is set for an exit next month. It does appear as though Ennis will be on the move and that is surely the best course of action for all involved.

Barnsley eye Niall Ennis move among host of League One clubs

Ennis will no longer be a Potter come February 2025, with shipping him out one of the main demands of Narcis Pelach in January, and League One perhaps being an ideal destination.

Despite only moving to Stoke this February, it simply has not worked out for Ennis and it feels as though he is already some way down Pelach's pecking order.

Ennis has a solid body of work across League One but has not cracked the Championship in his career thus far, meaning a return to the third tier of English football would likely benefit all parties.

At 25, he has plenty of time left in his career to get back to the second tier, but he must find form elsewhere first. He can operate as a wide forward or striker, with his versatility a strong selling point for teams like Barnsley.