Barnsley are expected to cut their financial budget over the summer to around £3.5 million, which would make them one of the lowest spenders in League One, according to a report.
The Tykes have had a tough season on the field in recent weeks, seeing them fall flat in their outside chances of a playoff place, leading towards discontent towards the ownership group at Oakwell.
Budget Tightens
According to Alan Nixon via his Patreon page, Barnsley will put greater restrictions on their spending going forward, with the club expected to make ‘big spending cuts’ to their current outgoings.
It is expected that the Tykes will limit their budget to £3.5 million, which, according to Nixon, will put them near the bottom of the third tier for their purchasing power.
The news comes after Conor Hourihane gave a bleak interview to BBC Radio Sheffield following their South Yorkshire derby defeat to Doncaster Rovers, in which he stated that fans should not expect the club to challenge for promotion in the near future.
“Without going overboard, we were just saying there going into the press room, Barnsley have always been a club that have been in and around the top six over the past three, four, five or six years.
“We were very clear as a club at the start of the season, that just isn’t there anymore financially. As much as people are disappointed, and say we are unrecognisable and all the rest of it, I completely understand it.
“But there needs to be a mindset now of we aren’t pushing for top six. And it will be the same next year, by the way. We need to understand that, get our heads around it, and accept where we are.
“There is an expectation of top six, top six, top six, but it is really difficult to get there in terms of the financial power in the league, in terms of the squad depth.”
Outrage Soon To Come
After Conor Hourihane’s blunt revelation that Barnsley have already ruled themselves out of challenging for a return to the Championship, the news of a reduction in budget was likely to be expected from the ownership of the club.
However, it is certain that this news will not go down well with supporters in the coming days, hours and weeks, especially considering the income the club is likely to raise in the summer if clubs return and match their reported £5 million asking fee for star Reyes Cleary.
Combining that fee with the sale they banked for Davis Keillor-Dunn in January, following his return to Wrexham, the coffers are very healthy to reinvest in the squad but ultimately, it would seem that not much of that will be spent in the summer.
Those factors will surely lead to much more discontent from the fanbase, especially with those who have already bought into the club’s chances next season with season ticket purchases and those prepared to follow their team on the road.
For a club that has been a frequent challenger in League One for automatic promotions, this is a very hard fall from grace for Barnsley and unless things are changed, their slide down the table is sure to continue.
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