Hill Over Carayol

Barnsley boss Keith Hill has tonight declared his pursuit of Rovers winger Mustapha Carayol over, suggesting they can't compete with bigger Championship sides for his signature.

Muzzy's first and only time wearing next season's Gas strip?

He explains that the Tykes were close to signing the Gambian in the Winter transfer window but couldn't wrap up a move in time. With the growing rumours that clubs like Derby County, Sheffield Wednesday and Leicester City are tracking Muzzy it looks like their financial muscle is better equipped to land him than those of Barnsley.

Former Rochdale boss Hill told the Barnsley Chronicle: "We tried to jump the queue and sign him in January because that's what we've got to do to get the best players. We were very, very close to signing him in January but could not quite agree a deal and I don't think we can get him now. He is destined to be playing at the top of the Championship in the near future. We won't be able to compete with the other clubs that want him."

This highlights just how highly thought of Carayol is. His performances were superb under McGhee and whilst it was inevitable that 2nd tier clubs would be aware of his ability, I half hoped they won't have seen enough of him to make a move. The fact that we've had to turn down several bids already suggests that we're fighting an un-winnable battle and will have to sell once the right bid comes in. Perhaps a deal with Leicester would make sense if they allowed us to sign Cian Bolger and Tom Parkes permanently too?

Barnsley appear to have ruled themselves out of the running, leaving the rest of the Championship to step in and make a bid too good to refuse.