Introduction
OUFC are gearing up for a return to League One football for the 26/27 season, following the club's brief stint in the Championship, culminating in a fairly unsurprising relegation.
I thought I'd take a look at the state of the squad going into pre-season and the areas of strength and weakness following last week's news of a transfer embargo.
I will do a brief piece on each individual player and ultimately see how our squad compares to the rest of the league, in order to see by how much we need to re-evaluate this seasons expectations, given the off-the-pitch circumstances.
The Squad
Let's start by having a look at the general picture of the squad, and the balance in each area of the pitch.
As shown, we are exactly on the limit of the 23 over-21 players that can be registered for the League One season, given that crucially, goalkeepers do not have to be registered at this level.
As is the same across all levels, under 21s do not have to be registered, giving a big opportunity to some of the Youth Team boys to play an important part this season. I have included Leo Snowden and Aidan Elliott-Wheeler in the squad overview, the two widely regarded as the most exciting prospects, but there are others such as Mo Missanga, Jack Lee and Aaron Lacey who we could also see come into the fold.
By looking at the shape of the squad, we can see that in areas such as centre back we are particularly light, especially when you factor in the situation with new signing Frankie Kent, who I'll get on to in more detail. Striker is another area of reasonable concern, as is the goalkeeper department beyond Jamie Cumming.
The positives include the strength in depth in the full back areas, with us having 3 players at left back and right back, as well as Brodie Spencer, who can cover the whole of the backline, and Ciaron Brown who can cover at left back if needed. Additionally, there is strength in numbers on both wings, albeit some of those players' quality is unproven.
Position-by-position deep dive
I will briefly discuss each individual player within each position, and then analyse more generally the quality and strength within each position and how it compares to others in League One.
Goalkeeper
Jamie Cumming - Jamie is a highly talented shot-stopper, who we have seen on many occasions pull off some remarkable one-on-one, close range saves. As with all goalkeepers at this level, he does come with some defects though: the most notable and the most heavily criticised, being his ball-playing ability. Whilst most of the criticism of him with the ball at his feet is fair, there is a key distinction to make. The criticism of his 'ball-playing' ability is too generic. As we have seen many times, his long kicking is subpar, with the ball often going over the touchline or not reaching the intended target, however this does not mean he 'isn't comfortable with the ball at his feet.' Coming through at a top Premier League academy, goalkeepers are taught that playing out from the back is the most important aspect of their position these days, meaning he will inevitably have an area of quality on the ball, we just have to extract that. With Aaron Ramsey's high possession, playing out from the back style, I believe Jamie will shine playing shorter, quicker passes into centre backs and defensive midfielders, a role he hasn't been asked to do much of under previous managers.
Simon Eastwood - An incredible servant to the club, but unsurprisingly his best years are very much behind him, having not played a competitive game for Oxford in over two years. He will, I'm sure, be a very good influence on the goalkeeping department behind the scenes, effectively as a coach, but there will be understandable concern if we have to call on him at any point this season.
The goalkeeping area behind Jamie Cumming is worryingly light, with the club having sold a reliable backup in Matt Ingram pre-embargo, who I'm confident we would have been aiming to replace. With that being said, Simon Eastwood is an experienced figure and there is always the possibility of an emergency loan should the worst case scenario come to be. It is also worth noting that Jamie Cumming hasn't missed a league game for Oxford through injury since being substituted against Portsmouth in January 2024.
There have also been a few murmurings of a potential move back to MK Dons for Jamie. At present, this is just speculation and nothing of substance. I'd be absolutely stunned if we let him go for pretty much any fee this summer, given the lack of depth behind him. He is also a player not deemed to have a release clause, given that from my understanding, it is incredibly rare for these to be inserted into contracts of free transfers, which he was when we signed him permanently in 2024.
In Jamie Cumming, I believe we have arguably the best goalkeeper in the league, rivalled only by Luton's Josh Keeley and Plymouth's Murphy Cooper. He has now gained experience at the level above since he last played in League One, in which he was statistically in the top 10 for save percentage of Championship Goalkeepers in both seasons we were there. However, our backup option is definitely one of the weakest, with Simon Eastwood, if we're honest, probably not starting for any other team in League One at this stage of his career. View attachment 36502
Centre Back
Michal Helik - A physical and aerially-dominant centre half, Michal has been a consistent rock at the back since signing from Huddersfield in January 2025, imposing himself as a goal threat as well as a solid box defender. There are question marks around his athleticism and lack of pace on the turn, especially when coming up against rapid Championship strikers. However, in League One, a league he knows well and a league known for 1v1 centre back-striker duels, the drop should allow him to be incredibly dominant. There is concern, however, over his reportedly relatively cheap release clause, coming in at around £700k. Unfortunately, at that price, and with his Championship experience, you would expect a club in the league above to meet that clause at some point in the window and therefore would be a massive bonus if we were able to keep hold of him.
Ciaron Brown - Ciaron has been an ever-present in our side since joining initially on loan from Cardiff in January 2022, before making the move permanent that summer. He has proven himself to be a reliable and consistent performer across his time at the club, winning back-to-back Player of the Year awards in the 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons. This should be a fairly simple transition. With him playing a key part in the side that won promotion last time we played at this level, a couple of seasons in the division above should have only done him good, gaining valuable experience, and also showing a knack for picking up a goal here and there. With rumoured interest already from the likes of Millwall, Oxford have a battle on their hands to keep hold of Ciaron this summer, but with the likelihood of Michal Helik leaving, I'd again be very surprised if we sanctioned a move for any fee we don't deem to be well above his value, given he is the only natural left-footed centre back we have.
James Golding - James has never been given a consistent chance to prove himself for Oxford; only playing a handful of games for the club, but given he has gained some senior football experience since we last saw him, he is a player that could play a big part this season. After being in and out of the side at Crewe in the first half of last season, he returned to Southend, where he was on loan the season before last, playing all but one of their games in the second half of the season; helping them to a playoff place. Given the lack of depth at centre back, we may see a lot of him this season and if he can live up to the hype around him when he was coming through the Youth setup, he could be a very exciting prospect who is much more more comfortable in possession than the other options in this position.
Frankie Kent - Our first signing of the summer window and what would prove to be our last. There is lots of talk around the situation with Frankie, having not travelled to Spain for pre-season and The Dub reporting that at this current moment, he is unable to be registered and therefore ineligible to play. Additionally, there are also rumours of a serious injury he has picked up, but that is yet to be confirmed*. So for either of those two reasons, it looks unlikely that we are going to see him until January at the earliest, which is frustrating as he was deemed to be a top signing for this level by wider EFL fans and weakens our depth in this area.
*These rumours have now been confirmed
All in all, we are especially short in depth in the centre back position, with James Golding, who has only played 8 competitive games for the club, being our only backup option. Sam Long can also play this position, but in Aaron Ramsey's tactical setup, this would be far from ideal.
Despite this, if we can keep hold of the two senior Centre Backs in Ciaron Brown and Michal Helik, then that pairing at this point in time, is only bettered by Leicester's. The two have much experience between them and have both proven their quality at the level above, hence why they are attracting Championship interest, making for a solid and reliable defence, which will be crucial if we want to realise our aims for this season.
Left Back
Jack Currie - A consistently brilliant full back, Jack has shown himself to be a quality one-on-one defender whilst also possessing lots of energy to get up and down the left flank. His area for improvement comes with the ball at his feet, where I feel his crossing and delivery into the box is very average. Given he has the pace to get up and down the pitch, working on his crossing could provide us with a nice attacking outlet. Jack will be guaranteed to attract lots of interest this summer, given his age and the overall lack of quality in his position, and keeping hold of him would be a huge sign of intent. He can count himself fairly unlucky to miss out on last season's Player of the Year award.
Ruben Roosken - Ruben is an interesting one. Left back is essentially his weakest position: he is much better suited to a wingback role, having even previously spent a lot of time playing as an out-and-out left winger at Huddersfield. He is definitely the best full back we have going forward but in his few appearances for the club, has shown himself as defensively suspect, highlighted by being hooked at half time against Hull after severely struggling against their Right Winger. He then wasn't seen for the rest of the season. I have a lot of concern about Ruben in the left back role, but wouldn't be surprised to see him used more as a left winger this season, given the need for more options and depth in attacking areas.
Greg Leigh - Everyone loves Greg Leigh. He is an athletic, physical full back who has scored some incredibly important goals over his three seasons at the club, notching six in both of his first two seasons! There are, however, as with Ruben Roosken, question marks over his defensive ability. Whilst this was certainly the case coming up against Championship wingers, the step down should benefit him. Greg played 31 times in the 2023/24 season and played a big part in our promotion, so an experienced backup option certainly won't do us any harm, but there may well be problems with his match fitness, given he has played one competitive game this calendar year.
As for the position overall, in Jack Currie, if we can keep hold of him, we have a player who was widely considered one of the best left backs in League One when he was on loan at Leyton Orient in the 2024/25 season, so playing a year in the league above, should only have improved him, which is incredibly exciting.
It is unclear who the second choice will be, but if it is Greg Leigh, you'd do well to find many more experienced back-up full backs of his standard in this league, although as previously mentioned, there have to be questions around his match sharpness.
This therefore makes this one of the few positions where I think we are absolutely set in, following the embargo, and I would have been surprised to see us target a left back even before it, making it one of our strongest, deepest positions.
Right Back
Brodie Spencer - In Brodie we have another very athletic full back, with lots of good physical attributes, but again lacking a bit in possession, maybe highlighting the recruitment strategy we went for in this position whilst in the Championship. He was a solid performer for Huddersfield at this level before we bought him, and I'm sure he will be the same for us, as he has given us no reason to believe he's not good enough, just more so that he has a ceiling which isn't as high as others. There is a chance he could garner Championship interest though, given his physical capabilities, although it would be fairly surprising if a team came in with a substantial offer.
Sam Long - We all know what Sam Long is, although sometimes the perception of him is almost disrespectful. Everyone's heard someone describe Sam as "solid" or "a consistent 6/10" but I firmly believe he is more than this. Whilst he, again, has deficiencies in possession, he is easily a Championship quality defender, with him having very few struggles at that level, contrary to what was expected when his name came out on the team sheet against Norwich for our opening Championship game. He will once again be very important for us, especially with his ability to fill in at centre back if needed, although as mentioned earlier, I'm not sure he will be particularly suited to Aaron Ramsey's tactical setup in that position.
Peter Kioso - If you ever speak to me about Oxford, one of the things you will quickly realise is that I really don't rate Peter Kioso. He is incredibly sloppy in possession, and apart from one good game against Josh Murphy at Fratton Park in October 2024, has never looked particularly comfortable defensively. With that being said, he is going to have to play a part this season, given we obviously now can't replace him, as I would expect we would have wanted to pre-embargo. He was not very highly thought of during his loan spell at Peterborough last season either, but maybe he can prove myself and many others wrong if called upon. There have been a couple of occasions where he has shown something going forward, linking up especially well with a forgotten Kyle Edwards in the second half away at Luton in 2024, so if he could show that ability again, that would provide us with a different option.
All being considered, Brodie Spencer defensively will be one of the best this league has to offer. However, factoring in his on-the-ball weaknesses, I'd probably place him around a top ten level right back in League One, with Leicester's Hamza Choudhury and Sheffield Wednesday's Yan Valery being a few of the ones ahead of him, as they are more well rounded.
In Sam Long we have an omnipresent, reliable, yet quality defender, who is very versatile, giving us an option that not all teams have and one we sometimes take for granted.
Peter Kioso played the vast majority of games for an underperforming Peterborough side who finished 18th last season, suggesting that he is at least better than what some teams have to offer, yet will be third choice for us, speaking to our strength in depth in this area.
Centre Midfield
Brian de Keersmaecker - Objectively, the 'best' player we have at the club. Whether you believe his performances tailed off or not, one thing's for sure: his quality is undeniable. With a consistent run in the team, Brian would be ridiculous at League One level and has the potential to tear the league apart with his creativity. Equally, his off the ball work is very impressive, possessing an 'engine' unmatched by anyone else in the midfield department, which is a massive help to the team. There will obviously be lots of Championship and probably abroad interest in him, and with him having a release clause, rumoured to be somewhere around £2.5-3 million, I would be stunned if he was here come the first of September. The fact he missed the second half of last season through injury though, could put off potential buyers, and if that is to be the case, that would be better than any potential signing we could have made.
Cam Brannagan - Not much needs to be said about Cam. He was the best midfielder in League One from 2021-2024, and despite the belief that 'his legs have gone', there's no reason to suggest he can't return to that title, although Brian de Keersmaecker might have something to say about that! I simply don't buy into the narrative about his decline in endurance and physical attributes, with it instead being down to the increase in general physical demands of the Championship, rather than any emerging deficiencies in Cam's game. Keeping him feels much more achievable this summer than in previous ones, given he didn't particularly 'light up' the Championship, and isn't getting any younger. I expect him to be here next season and play a huge part as ever.
Jamie McDonnell - Jamie has the potential to have a big 2026/27. If Brian de Keersmaecker was to leave, it would likely be Jamie who steps up into a starting midfield role. If this is the case, and even if it isn't, he is one that I'm particularly excited about. We didn't see as much of him in the second half of last season as we maybe should have, but he has qualities that no one else in our midfield possesses. He is a 'destroyer' type, averaging four and a half tackles per 90 when at Mansfield last season, putting him in the top percentile of League One midfielders for defensive contributions. Whilst there are some question marks over his ability on the ball, especially in an Aaron Ramsey side, there are enough players around him with those qualities for it not to be such an issue. His defensive ability could be huge in games against forward thinking, promotion chasing sides.
Will Vaulks - Will has proven himself to be a huge character off the pitch, but his on the pitch performances during his time at Oxford have been inconsistent to say the least. After two years, I'm still not really sure what he is meant to offer aside from his (not so) long throws, with him being asked to play a number of different roles within the midfield during his time here, but not really excelling in any of them. Nevertheless, he is an experienced head, who will come in handy in times of struggle and has won promotion from this league twice, at both Rotherham and Sheffield Wednesday, which is always useful.
Overall, I think central midfield is a position of huge strength, and definitely our most concentrated area of quality. There would, however, be a problem with the depth if de Keersmaecker was to leave: I think we would have liked to bring in at least one more centre midfielder for depth purposes had we not been under embargo.
As for comparison to the rest of the league, I firmly believe that Brian de Keersmaceker and Cam Brannagan would be two of the very best, if not the best, midfielders in League One, supported by Jamie McDonnell who is definitely a playoff-chasing level Midfielder, which is a very exciting prospect.
Again, the likes of Luton and Leicester are the ones who have a similar level midfield to us, both who are expected to be challenging for automatic promotion, speaking to the prestige we have in this area.
Thanks for taking the time to read! Part 2 will be posted in due course.
OUFC are gearing up for a return to League One football for the 26/27 season, following the club's brief stint in the Championship, culminating in a fairly unsurprising relegation.
I thought I'd take a look at the state of the squad going into pre-season and the areas of strength and weakness following last week's news of a transfer embargo.
I will do a brief piece on each individual player and ultimately see how our squad compares to the rest of the league, in order to see by how much we need to re-evaluate this seasons expectations, given the off-the-pitch circumstances.
The Squad
Let's start by having a look at the general picture of the squad, and the balance in each area of the pitch.
As shown, we are exactly on the limit of the 23 over-21 players that can be registered for the League One season, given that crucially, goalkeepers do not have to be registered at this level.
As is the same across all levels, under 21s do not have to be registered, giving a big opportunity to some of the Youth Team boys to play an important part this season. I have included Leo Snowden and Aidan Elliott-Wheeler in the squad overview, the two widely regarded as the most exciting prospects, but there are others such as Mo Missanga, Jack Lee and Aaron Lacey who we could also see come into the fold.
By looking at the shape of the squad, we can see that in areas such as centre back we are particularly light, especially when you factor in the situation with new signing Frankie Kent, who I'll get on to in more detail. Striker is another area of reasonable concern, as is the goalkeeper department beyond Jamie Cumming.
The positives include the strength in depth in the full back areas, with us having 3 players at left back and right back, as well as Brodie Spencer, who can cover the whole of the backline, and Ciaron Brown who can cover at left back if needed. Additionally, there is strength in numbers on both wings, albeit some of those players' quality is unproven.
Position-by-position deep dive
I will briefly discuss each individual player within each position, and then analyse more generally the quality and strength within each position and how it compares to others in League One.
Goalkeeper
Jamie Cumming - Jamie is a highly talented shot-stopper, who we have seen on many occasions pull off some remarkable one-on-one, close range saves. As with all goalkeepers at this level, he does come with some defects though: the most notable and the most heavily criticised, being his ball-playing ability. Whilst most of the criticism of him with the ball at his feet is fair, there is a key distinction to make. The criticism of his 'ball-playing' ability is too generic. As we have seen many times, his long kicking is subpar, with the ball often going over the touchline or not reaching the intended target, however this does not mean he 'isn't comfortable with the ball at his feet.' Coming through at a top Premier League academy, goalkeepers are taught that playing out from the back is the most important aspect of their position these days, meaning he will inevitably have an area of quality on the ball, we just have to extract that. With Aaron Ramsey's high possession, playing out from the back style, I believe Jamie will shine playing shorter, quicker passes into centre backs and defensive midfielders, a role he hasn't been asked to do much of under previous managers.
Simon Eastwood - An incredible servant to the club, but unsurprisingly his best years are very much behind him, having not played a competitive game for Oxford in over two years. He will, I'm sure, be a very good influence on the goalkeeping department behind the scenes, effectively as a coach, but there will be understandable concern if we have to call on him at any point this season.
The goalkeeping area behind Jamie Cumming is worryingly light, with the club having sold a reliable backup in Matt Ingram pre-embargo, who I'm confident we would have been aiming to replace. With that being said, Simon Eastwood is an experienced figure and there is always the possibility of an emergency loan should the worst case scenario come to be. It is also worth noting that Jamie Cumming hasn't missed a league game for Oxford through injury since being substituted against Portsmouth in January 2024.
There have also been a few murmurings of a potential move back to MK Dons for Jamie. At present, this is just speculation and nothing of substance. I'd be absolutely stunned if we let him go for pretty much any fee this summer, given the lack of depth behind him. He is also a player not deemed to have a release clause, given that from my understanding, it is incredibly rare for these to be inserted into contracts of free transfers, which he was when we signed him permanently in 2024.
In Jamie Cumming, I believe we have arguably the best goalkeeper in the league, rivalled only by Luton's Josh Keeley and Plymouth's Murphy Cooper. He has now gained experience at the level above since he last played in League One, in which he was statistically in the top 10 for save percentage of Championship Goalkeepers in both seasons we were there. However, our backup option is definitely one of the weakest, with Simon Eastwood, if we're honest, probably not starting for any other team in League One at this stage of his career. View attachment 36502
Centre Back
Michal Helik - A physical and aerially-dominant centre half, Michal has been a consistent rock at the back since signing from Huddersfield in January 2025, imposing himself as a goal threat as well as a solid box defender. There are question marks around his athleticism and lack of pace on the turn, especially when coming up against rapid Championship strikers. However, in League One, a league he knows well and a league known for 1v1 centre back-striker duels, the drop should allow him to be incredibly dominant. There is concern, however, over his reportedly relatively cheap release clause, coming in at around £700k. Unfortunately, at that price, and with his Championship experience, you would expect a club in the league above to meet that clause at some point in the window and therefore would be a massive bonus if we were able to keep hold of him.
Ciaron Brown - Ciaron has been an ever-present in our side since joining initially on loan from Cardiff in January 2022, before making the move permanent that summer. He has proven himself to be a reliable and consistent performer across his time at the club, winning back-to-back Player of the Year awards in the 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons. This should be a fairly simple transition. With him playing a key part in the side that won promotion last time we played at this level, a couple of seasons in the division above should have only done him good, gaining valuable experience, and also showing a knack for picking up a goal here and there. With rumoured interest already from the likes of Millwall, Oxford have a battle on their hands to keep hold of Ciaron this summer, but with the likelihood of Michal Helik leaving, I'd again be very surprised if we sanctioned a move for any fee we don't deem to be well above his value, given he is the only natural left-footed centre back we have.
James Golding - James has never been given a consistent chance to prove himself for Oxford; only playing a handful of games for the club, but given he has gained some senior football experience since we last saw him, he is a player that could play a big part this season. After being in and out of the side at Crewe in the first half of last season, he returned to Southend, where he was on loan the season before last, playing all but one of their games in the second half of the season; helping them to a playoff place. Given the lack of depth at centre back, we may see a lot of him this season and if he can live up to the hype around him when he was coming through the Youth setup, he could be a very exciting prospect who is much more more comfortable in possession than the other options in this position.
Frankie Kent - Our first signing of the summer window and what would prove to be our last. There is lots of talk around the situation with Frankie, having not travelled to Spain for pre-season and The Dub reporting that at this current moment, he is unable to be registered and therefore ineligible to play. Additionally, there are also rumours of a serious injury he has picked up, but that is yet to be confirmed*. So for either of those two reasons, it looks unlikely that we are going to see him until January at the earliest, which is frustrating as he was deemed to be a top signing for this level by wider EFL fans and weakens our depth in this area.
*These rumours have now been confirmed
All in all, we are especially short in depth in the centre back position, with James Golding, who has only played 8 competitive games for the club, being our only backup option. Sam Long can also play this position, but in Aaron Ramsey's tactical setup, this would be far from ideal.
Despite this, if we can keep hold of the two senior Centre Backs in Ciaron Brown and Michal Helik, then that pairing at this point in time, is only bettered by Leicester's. The two have much experience between them and have both proven their quality at the level above, hence why they are attracting Championship interest, making for a solid and reliable defence, which will be crucial if we want to realise our aims for this season.
Left Back
Jack Currie - A consistently brilliant full back, Jack has shown himself to be a quality one-on-one defender whilst also possessing lots of energy to get up and down the left flank. His area for improvement comes with the ball at his feet, where I feel his crossing and delivery into the box is very average. Given he has the pace to get up and down the pitch, working on his crossing could provide us with a nice attacking outlet. Jack will be guaranteed to attract lots of interest this summer, given his age and the overall lack of quality in his position, and keeping hold of him would be a huge sign of intent. He can count himself fairly unlucky to miss out on last season's Player of the Year award.
Ruben Roosken - Ruben is an interesting one. Left back is essentially his weakest position: he is much better suited to a wingback role, having even previously spent a lot of time playing as an out-and-out left winger at Huddersfield. He is definitely the best full back we have going forward but in his few appearances for the club, has shown himself as defensively suspect, highlighted by being hooked at half time against Hull after severely struggling against their Right Winger. He then wasn't seen for the rest of the season. I have a lot of concern about Ruben in the left back role, but wouldn't be surprised to see him used more as a left winger this season, given the need for more options and depth in attacking areas.
Greg Leigh - Everyone loves Greg Leigh. He is an athletic, physical full back who has scored some incredibly important goals over his three seasons at the club, notching six in both of his first two seasons! There are, however, as with Ruben Roosken, question marks over his defensive ability. Whilst this was certainly the case coming up against Championship wingers, the step down should benefit him. Greg played 31 times in the 2023/24 season and played a big part in our promotion, so an experienced backup option certainly won't do us any harm, but there may well be problems with his match fitness, given he has played one competitive game this calendar year.
As for the position overall, in Jack Currie, if we can keep hold of him, we have a player who was widely considered one of the best left backs in League One when he was on loan at Leyton Orient in the 2024/25 season, so playing a year in the league above, should only have improved him, which is incredibly exciting.
It is unclear who the second choice will be, but if it is Greg Leigh, you'd do well to find many more experienced back-up full backs of his standard in this league, although as previously mentioned, there have to be questions around his match sharpness.
This therefore makes this one of the few positions where I think we are absolutely set in, following the embargo, and I would have been surprised to see us target a left back even before it, making it one of our strongest, deepest positions.
Right Back
Brodie Spencer - In Brodie we have another very athletic full back, with lots of good physical attributes, but again lacking a bit in possession, maybe highlighting the recruitment strategy we went for in this position whilst in the Championship. He was a solid performer for Huddersfield at this level before we bought him, and I'm sure he will be the same for us, as he has given us no reason to believe he's not good enough, just more so that he has a ceiling which isn't as high as others. There is a chance he could garner Championship interest though, given his physical capabilities, although it would be fairly surprising if a team came in with a substantial offer.
Sam Long - We all know what Sam Long is, although sometimes the perception of him is almost disrespectful. Everyone's heard someone describe Sam as "solid" or "a consistent 6/10" but I firmly believe he is more than this. Whilst he, again, has deficiencies in possession, he is easily a Championship quality defender, with him having very few struggles at that level, contrary to what was expected when his name came out on the team sheet against Norwich for our opening Championship game. He will once again be very important for us, especially with his ability to fill in at centre back if needed, although as mentioned earlier, I'm not sure he will be particularly suited to Aaron Ramsey's tactical setup in that position.
Peter Kioso - If you ever speak to me about Oxford, one of the things you will quickly realise is that I really don't rate Peter Kioso. He is incredibly sloppy in possession, and apart from one good game against Josh Murphy at Fratton Park in October 2024, has never looked particularly comfortable defensively. With that being said, he is going to have to play a part this season, given we obviously now can't replace him, as I would expect we would have wanted to pre-embargo. He was not very highly thought of during his loan spell at Peterborough last season either, but maybe he can prove myself and many others wrong if called upon. There have been a couple of occasions where he has shown something going forward, linking up especially well with a forgotten Kyle Edwards in the second half away at Luton in 2024, so if he could show that ability again, that would provide us with a different option.
All being considered, Brodie Spencer defensively will be one of the best this league has to offer. However, factoring in his on-the-ball weaknesses, I'd probably place him around a top ten level right back in League One, with Leicester's Hamza Choudhury and Sheffield Wednesday's Yan Valery being a few of the ones ahead of him, as they are more well rounded.
In Sam Long we have an omnipresent, reliable, yet quality defender, who is very versatile, giving us an option that not all teams have and one we sometimes take for granted.
Peter Kioso played the vast majority of games for an underperforming Peterborough side who finished 18th last season, suggesting that he is at least better than what some teams have to offer, yet will be third choice for us, speaking to our strength in depth in this area.
Centre Midfield
Brian de Keersmaecker - Objectively, the 'best' player we have at the club. Whether you believe his performances tailed off or not, one thing's for sure: his quality is undeniable. With a consistent run in the team, Brian would be ridiculous at League One level and has the potential to tear the league apart with his creativity. Equally, his off the ball work is very impressive, possessing an 'engine' unmatched by anyone else in the midfield department, which is a massive help to the team. There will obviously be lots of Championship and probably abroad interest in him, and with him having a release clause, rumoured to be somewhere around £2.5-3 million, I would be stunned if he was here come the first of September. The fact he missed the second half of last season through injury though, could put off potential buyers, and if that is to be the case, that would be better than any potential signing we could have made.
Cam Brannagan - Not much needs to be said about Cam. He was the best midfielder in League One from 2021-2024, and despite the belief that 'his legs have gone', there's no reason to suggest he can't return to that title, although Brian de Keersmaecker might have something to say about that! I simply don't buy into the narrative about his decline in endurance and physical attributes, with it instead being down to the increase in general physical demands of the Championship, rather than any emerging deficiencies in Cam's game. Keeping him feels much more achievable this summer than in previous ones, given he didn't particularly 'light up' the Championship, and isn't getting any younger. I expect him to be here next season and play a huge part as ever.
Jamie McDonnell - Jamie has the potential to have a big 2026/27. If Brian de Keersmaecker was to leave, it would likely be Jamie who steps up into a starting midfield role. If this is the case, and even if it isn't, he is one that I'm particularly excited about. We didn't see as much of him in the second half of last season as we maybe should have, but he has qualities that no one else in our midfield possesses. He is a 'destroyer' type, averaging four and a half tackles per 90 when at Mansfield last season, putting him in the top percentile of League One midfielders for defensive contributions. Whilst there are some question marks over his ability on the ball, especially in an Aaron Ramsey side, there are enough players around him with those qualities for it not to be such an issue. His defensive ability could be huge in games against forward thinking, promotion chasing sides.
Will Vaulks - Will has proven himself to be a huge character off the pitch, but his on the pitch performances during his time at Oxford have been inconsistent to say the least. After two years, I'm still not really sure what he is meant to offer aside from his (not so) long throws, with him being asked to play a number of different roles within the midfield during his time here, but not really excelling in any of them. Nevertheless, he is an experienced head, who will come in handy in times of struggle and has won promotion from this league twice, at both Rotherham and Sheffield Wednesday, which is always useful.
Overall, I think central midfield is a position of huge strength, and definitely our most concentrated area of quality. There would, however, be a problem with the depth if de Keersmaecker was to leave: I think we would have liked to bring in at least one more centre midfielder for depth purposes had we not been under embargo.
As for comparison to the rest of the league, I firmly believe that Brian de Keersmaceker and Cam Brannagan would be two of the very best, if not the best, midfielders in League One, supported by Jamie McDonnell who is definitely a playoff-chasing level Midfielder, which is a very exciting prospect.
Again, the likes of Luton and Leicester are the ones who have a similar level midfield to us, both who are expected to be challenging for automatic promotion, speaking to the prestige we have in this area.
Thanks for taking the time to read! Part 2 will be posted in due course.
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