Oxford united FC
Oxford United join race for Irish League Two striker
According to transfer correspondent Pete O’Rourke Oxford United and fellow League One side Leyton Orient have joined the chase for Grimsby striker Jaze Kabia this summer.
The Irish attacker scored 23 goals and registered three assists in Grimsby’s promotion pushing in League Two.
READ MORE: Oxford United interested in former Tottenham defender
The Irishman has spent large parts of his career playing in the Scottish pyramid across spells with the likes of Greenock Morton, Falkirk and Livingston in recent years.
He made 13 appearances for Livingston scoring one goal and providing three assists, 24 appearances for Morton proving eight goal contributions and five goal contribution across 12 appearances for Falkirk.
Across his entire career to this point, Kabia has scored 66 goals and provided 26 assists across 245 senior appearances.
The U’s will be in the market for a striker following the departure of loan signing Will Lankshear as he returned to parent club Tottenham Hotspur.
Lankshear joined The U’s on loan last summer from Premier League outfit Spurs and has been an icon in OX4.
Winning the club’s men’s Golden Boot and Young Player of the Season awards, the 21-year-old’s performances in yellow and exemplary attitude off the pitch have seen fans fall enamoured with the forward.
Lankshear played 47 times and scored 12 goals in all competitions for a struggling Yellows side which suffered relegation to League One.
The young goal scorer stayed on the pitch the longest after Oxford’s final game of the season, saying an emotional goodbye to The U’s fans.
Striker Nik Prelec similarly on loan from Italian side Cagliari returned to his parent club after scoring one goal in 25 appearances.
Oxford United travel to Leyton Orient for the first round of the Carabao Cup and Aaron Ramsey’s first competitive match in charge.
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The 32-year-old became the third player to leave the club after United were hit with a temporary transfer ban at the beginning of July.
Vaulks joined Nik Prelec and Ole Romeny – who left on loan- in departing the club this summer, returning to the club where he spent his academy career, Tranmere Rovers.
Dropping down to League Two, the former Wales international leaves Oxford after two years in the Championship with the club, playing 88 times for the Yellows and scoring twice.
The former Oxford midfielder was left out of the U’s squad in their final pre-season friendly, a 2-0 win over Premier League side Ipswich Town, and went on to be announced as a Tranmere player on Monday evening.
United head coach Ramsey opened up on Vaulks’ departure in his press conference before the club’s first competitive fixture of the season, an away trip to Leyton Orient in the Carabao Cup.
“We had some honest conversations with Will and the opportunity came up for him to pursue his new opportunity there,” the 35-year-old Yellows boss said.
“I mean, he’s been great for this club and what he’s done on and off the field here has been remarkable.
“We just wish Will the best of luck now going forward.”
A statement from Oxford included the message: “On behalf of everyone at Oxford United, thank you Will.
“We wish you all the best with your future and we will continue to drive your important work forward.”
From the Wirral, Vaulks moves closer to home by joining Darrell Clarke’s side.
Upon joining Rovers, the centre midfielder said: “I’m grateful to be back.
READ MORE: Oxford United captain reveals ‘close conversations’ with teammates
READ MORE: Oxford United boss confirms Stan Mills absence ahead of Carabao Cup
“I spent 10 years at the club, but never played a first team game, so this is a move that has been on my mind for a number of years now.
“I really wanted to come back to my boyhood club.
“I made it clear that I wasn’t going anywhere else, other than to Tranmere, it was the club I wanted to join.
“I’m a Wirral boy and I can’t wait to give everything for the club.”
As well as contributing on the pitch for Oxford, Vaulks made a huge impact off it, using his personal story to establish the award-winning Can We Talk? suicide prevention campaign.
He was nationally and internationally recognised for his campaigning, winning awards including the FIFPRO Player Voice and was recently named PFA Community Player of the Year.
The 2026/27 EFL Cup supercomputer forecast, combining mathematical probability algorithms and agentic AI, suggests the Yellows will defeat Leyton Orient 2-1 at Brisbane Road.
This will be Ramsey’s first competitive fixture since taking charge.
The computer model – conducted by Andy’s Bet Club – anticipates several other first-round outcomes, including Rochdale, recently promoted from the National League, surprising Bradford City with a penalty shootout victory.
In the southern section of the competition, League Two’s Barnet are expected to beat Cambridge United, who are a league higher.
The supercomputer also foresees victories for West Ham United, Birmingham City, Burnley, and Wolves, all advancing unscathed to the second round.
On the other hand, Oxford’s fierce rivals, Swindon Town, are predicted to exit in the first round, losing 2-0 to Championship side Cardiff City.
READ MORE: Oxford United boss confirms Stan Mills absence ahead of Carabao Cup
READ MORE: Oxford United captain reveals ‘close conversations’ with teammates
The first round of the EFL Cup, for the first time in six years, is set to take place before the start of the league season.
The supercomputer predicts that West Ham United will be the last remaining EFL team in the competition, bowing out in the quarter-finals against Chelsea.
The eventual winners, according to the supercomputer, will be Manchester City, claiming their 10th title.
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