Conor Hourihane has given his stance on Barnsley‘s failure to replace Davis Keillor-Dunn on Deadline Day.
The Tykes sanctioned a big-money exit for their leading goalscorer to Wrexham in the final hours of the window, and despite signing Oxford United‘s Tom Bradshaw, the club ultimately missed out in adding further reinforcements alongside the veteran.
Disappointment at Oakwell
Speaking to the media in the wake of the transfer window shutting, Conor Hourihane fronted questions around Keillor-Dunn’s exit and the potential impact it will have on the rest of the season. (Quotes via Yorkshire Post)
“It wasn’t from the want of trying (to sign a new striker) and I’m obviously a bit disappointed that we couldn’t get one, of course.
“But we tried and there’s no getting away from it. I think we were on the phone until the very last minute to try and get something done and it just wasn’t to be. Look, obviously we’ve lost a really good player in Davo (Keillor-Dunn) and we’ve obviously added Tom (Bradshaw) in, which is a positive one for sure.
“It was just the concern about getting another one with how many games we have in a short space of time. If anything was to happen to Tom or Didzy (David McGoldrick) or whatever, are we a little bit short in that area potentially? But look, it is what it is.
✍️ 𝑳𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒘𝒉𝒐’𝒔 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌…
Davis Keillor-Dunn has signed a three-and-half-year deal to return to Wrexham from Barnsley.
Understood it’s a £2m sale rising to £3m if add-ons are triggered #WxmAFC pic.twitter.com/FLv7cfgRO8
— RobRyanRed – Wrexham AFC Podcast (@RobRyanRed) February 2, 2026
“We were having recruitment meetings from early December, weekly, and having talks and identifying players.
“Look, Davo obviously left very, very late. We knew Davo was a very, very good player and we weren’t sure if anyone would come with a number that the club would be happy with, but I think it was very, very late when Wrexham obviously did.
“We all felt like it was a really good deal for all parties and then, obviously, we ended up where we were off the back of that late deal.
“I don’t think there should be fingers pointed in terms of the process because that process had started long before the January window.”
It has already been a tough start to their season without the former Mansfield Town man, with Barnsley failing to capitalise on one of their games in hand with a draw at home to Northampton Town.
Can Bradshaw Offset Keillor-Dunn’s Loss?
With Barnsley now stuck with David McGoldrick and Tom Bradshaw as their only senior strikers now, the Tykes have to make do with what they have and find a way to flourish.
McGoldrick delivered in midweek against Northampton and is on somewhat of a hot streak as of late, with five goals and two assists in his last five League One matches.
But questions still remain as to whether Bradshaw can perform, with the 33-year-old having struggled for action over the past two and a half years at both Millwall and Oxford.
While he should be able to have a big impact over the rest of the season, whether he can deliver enough to replace the impact of losing Davis Keillor-Dunn remains to be seen.
Barnsley still have a good chance of making the playoffs with what they have, and if both Reyes Cleary and new signing Scott Banks can produce enough chances for their strikers to finish, then they have a strong case to finish in the top six.