Davis Keillor-Dunn ‘gamble’ admission from Barnsley FC sporting director Mladen Sormaz.
IT’S fair to say that when it came to the 2024 summer transfer window, Barnsley saved the best piece of business until last.
It proved their most high-profile – and ultimately successful – transaction with patience proving a virtue as Davis Keillor-Dunn signed on the dotted line, in the nick of time, on deadline day.
An impressive haul of 19 goals in his maiden season at Oakwell proved that it was a significant amount of money pretty well spent regarding the 27-year-old, whom the Reds will be particularly anxious to keep this summer.
The success of the move also justified Barnsley’s belief that patience would prove a virtue in their pursuit of the Wearsider, a target throughout the summer.
Barnsley’s Davis Keillor-Dunn.
Barnsley’s Davis Keillor-Dunn.
It represented a ‘gamble’ according to sporting director Mladen Sormaz, but it paid off.
When it comes to cash signings for decent amounts of money, a holding of nerve can come into play, but it can also be a delicate balance.
“The difficult thing at some teams sometimes is the gamble. Do you hold out?” said Sormaz.
“For example, the biggest hold-out last year was for Davis as we knew what that situation was. I look at the guys who might have moved on earlier and am quite relieved we waited.
York City’s Ashley Nathaniel-George takes on Oldham loanee Vimal Yoganathan on Tuesday night. Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe
York City’s Ashley Nathaniel-George takes on Oldham loanee Vimal Yoganathan on Tuesday night. Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe
“I get it can be frustrating and we don’t look to do it in every single case. But sometimes, it’s worth knowing there are deals there already ready in terms of operations and deals on the table where we have just decide when we are pulling that trigger.”
While Barnsley players take a break before reconvening for pre-season in high summer, one individual very much still actively involved in the 2024-25 campaign is midfielder Vimal Yoganathan, who has been busy making a name for himself on loan at Oldham Athletic.
After impressing in the eliminator play-off win over FC Halifax Town, the 19-year-old excelled in Tuesday’s semi-final success at York City, setting up the Latics’ opener and firing in the second as the visitors booked a Wembley finals berth on June 1.
Yoganathan moved across the Pennines in January for the remainder of the 24-25 season, shortly after the Wales under-19 player penned a new deal.
The ex-Liverpool academy product signed a new three-and-a-half-year contract at Oakwell until June 2028, with a club option to extend the deal by a further year.