"May need to sell" - Barnsley FC: Adam Phillips and Luca Connell fear raised | OneFootball

FLW's Barnsley fan pundit has highlighted his biggest fears ahead of the January transfer window.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Barnsley are currently well in contention for a top six finish in League One this season, although the outcome of the January transfer window could have a major impact on whether they can maintain their promotion push.

Darrell Clarke's side find themselves sixth in the League One table ahead of their midweek trip to Wrexham, but they are without a win in four games in all competitions and have a potentially difficult run of fixtures ahead of them in the lead-up to the new year.

The Tykes have been chasing a return to the Championship since they suffered relegation to the third tier in 2022, and having reached the play-offs during both of their attempts so far, they will be hoping to go one better and win promotion this time around.

However, the upcoming January transfer window could prove to be vital if they are going to achieve their objective this season.

Barnsley must keep hold of Adam Phillips and Luca Connell

We asked our Barnsley fan pundit, Andy Symcox, what his biggest fear is ahead of the transfer window, and he explained that losing Adam Phillips and Luca Connell would be the worst possible outcome in January.

"My biggest fear heading into the transfer window in January is two-fold," said Andy.

"Firstly, due to our financial circumstances, similar to many other clubs, we may need to sell to balance the books more appropriately.

"There are a few players who could be sold for reasonable money - or good money. Most notably Adam Phillips and Luca Connell.

"It also is of concern to me that, due to the financial circumstances around our club, we may not be able to strengthen sufficiently in January in order to make a realistic push for the play-offs this season."

Phillips and Connell are standout players for Barnsley

It is no surprise that Andy wants to see Barnsley keep hold of Phillips and Connell beyond January, as they have been two of the Tykes' standout players in recent seasons.

Phillips is Barnsley's top scorer in League One so far this term with five goals from midfield, highlighting his importance to the team and their hopes of maintaining a promotion push during the remainder of the campaign.

According to the rating system on FotMob, Connell has been the fourth-best player in League One so far this season, while the 37 opportunities that he has created for his teammates rank him second in the division for most chances created.

Therefore, losing either Phillips or Connell in January would be a cause for significant concern among Barnsley supporters, who will want to see two of their most important players stay at the club as they look to win promotion back to the Championship.