Barnsley midfielder Callum Styles’ future is still up in the air after manager Darrell Clarke insisted that he left the star out of his side’s 2-1 defeat at home to Mansfield Town on Friday because the interest in the player has affected his mindset with a bid from Championship side West Brom rejected in recent weeks.
Callum Styles has been with the Tykes since 2018 and has made 151 appearances for the club, scoring 13 goals and providing a further nine assists with his versatility crucial to the club’s run to the Championship play-offs in 2020/21.
West Brom’s Financial Troubles Make Further Bid For Hungary International Appear Unlikely
The 24-year-old midfielder, who represented Hungary in the recent European Championships, has had loan spells at Championship clubs Millwall and Sunderland in the past two seasons. He was the subject of a bid from West Brom earlier this month but with the Baggies under restrictions on their transfer activity due to financial dealings relating to the previous ownership, this would appear to impair their ability to submit an improved offer.
Carlos Corberan’s side picked up three points in their opening league game with a 3-1 win at Queens Park Rangers thanks to a hat-trick from Josh Maja and have signed a player from Barnsley this summer, securing a deal for striker Devante Cole on a free transfer. The 29-year-old played a quarter of an hour in the win over QPR and scored 33 goals for Barnsley in their last two League One campaigns.
West Brom have signed just one player for a transfer fee in the summer transfer window, paying a reported £525,000 to Swedish side Brommapojkarna for central defender Torbjørn Heggem.
Barnsley Manager Darrell Clarke Provides Update on Callum Styles’ Future
Despite being a feature in pre-season, Callum Styles was absent at Oakwell as Barnsley lost their opener to newly promoted Mansfield Town. Speaking to the Barnsley Chronicle, manager Darrell Clarke provided an update on why the player was left out of the squad for the game:
“Callum is having a lot of interest and a few clubs are coming in for him. He didn’t feel in the right frame of mind. I would rather play players whose mindset is right. He hasn’t been a problem for me.
“If it’s not right for the club he won’t be going anywhere. He will leave if the club get the figure they want and expect. Knowing the owners and board, that won’t be moving.”
The same source indicates that there is a £2 million release clause in Styles’ contract, which has entered into its final 12 months. The former Bury player played 20 times for Barnsley in League One in 2023/24, scoring three goals and providing two assists. He ranked in the top five for tackles per game, despite moving to Sunderland on loan in the second half of the campaign and he will need to be replaced if Barnsley have ambitions to compete for a place in the Championship next season.
His all-round game will be difficult to replace as he ranked in the top three for tackles and key passes per game in his last full campaign for the club when Barnsley suffered relegation from the second tier in 2020/21. He ranked highly for accurate short passes per game and in the top four for shots per game and still has the potential to grow his game.
The player is talented enough to become a regular feature in the second tier and it appears that there could be further movement on this one as the player was left out of the squad due to not being in the right mindset and the manager focusing on players who are in the right frame of mind to play for the club. His comments on ‘a few clubs’ being interested is a further indication that further bids could be submitted for the Hungary international.