Oxford united FC
Three Oxford United stars set for breakout League One season
Matt Bloomfield’s U’s finished 22nd last season and will return to the third division after a two-year stint in the Championship.
With 10 out-of-contract players already out the door, Oxford have maintained a good core of players ready for next season.
There is work to be done to trim the fat of the squad, but there are a few Yellows names who have the opportunity to take the third tier by storm.
Tyler Goodrham
Hopefully the U’s academy product has not been forgotten by fans since his New Year’s Day injury which kept him out for the remainder of the season.
Goodrham shone in his last season in League One, which was a breakout year for the 22-year-old, scoring eight goals and registering four assists in 40 appearances.
After the departure of attacking midfielder Jamie Donley following the end of his loan spell from Tottenham Hotspur, there is an opportunity for the Wycombe-born midfielder to lock down the position.
With a full recovery, pre-season, and two years’ experience at a higher level, there is no reason why a hungry Goodrham cannot take League One by storm next season.
Aidomo Emakhu
After a slow start in OX4, the last few Championship fixtures saw the Irishman find some form and break into Bloomfield’s side.
Emakhu has three years’ second tier experience as an impact substitute with Millwall and Oxford and will relish the potential opportunity to play consistently at a level which he will surely fancy himself at.
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United fans are yet to see the best of the 22-year-old, who recently made his first senior international appearance for the Republic of Ireland.
However, glimpses of direct, pacey, exciting wing play were demonstrated in substitute features against Derby County and Wrexham and a start against Sheffield Wednesday in the Yellows’ final few Championship games.
Jeon Jin-woo
Emakhu and Goodrham will not be without competition.
Jin-woo joined in January from the Korean league where he was highly-rated, but the transition to English football was always going to take a moment.
The 26-year-old made eight appearances for the U’s in the second half of the season but it was not really enough to gage his true ability.
With a pre-season under his belt, Jin-woo has the opportunity to adjust to the English game and rise to the challenge of League One.
Naturally a winger, Bloomfield used the South Korean as an attacking midfielder on one or two occasions off the bench.
Tottenham Hotspur want £20 million for 21-year-old Will Lankshear and have turned down multiple bids for him, according to Hayters.
The ex-U’s striker, who was the club’s top scorer last term with 12 goals in all competitions, is highly rated by his parent side who narrowly avoided relegation from the Premier League last season finishing two points above the drop zone.
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However, they haven’t ruled out selling him if the right offer comes in with Portuguese side Sporting CP reportedly interested.
In addition Spurs is also considering another loan move for Lankshear to a Championship club, although the London team is looking to fund a summer spending spree that has already seen a £52 million bid for defender Jan Paul Van Hecke accepted by Brighton.
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Lankshear has made three Premier League appearances for Spurs as well as scoring one goal in three Europa League features.
In a breakout season in men’s football, the England youth international became a fan favourite in OX4 for his tenacity and goal scoring success in a struggling Championship team.
The 21-year-old’s attitude off the pitch also endeared the fans to his name, with the player crediting the club as the place where it all began ahead of a hopefully successful career.
The U’s will play host to the Tractor Boys on Saturday, August 1, with kick-off scheduled for 12:00PM.
The fixture is the fourth pre-season friendly confirmed by the club and the first from a division higher than League One, where Oxford will compete next term.
United will face National League side Aldershot Town (Tuesday, July 21) and League Two club Barnet (Saturday, July 25) away from home before the welcoming of another fourth-tier outfit Crawley Town (Tuesday, July 28).
The U’s have also confirmed that tickets for the trip to Aldershot are now on sale.
Oxford played Ipswich twice in the Championship last season as Matt Bloomfield’s side suffered relegation whilst the Suffolk club were promoted to the Premier League, finishing second.
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Under former head coach Gary Rowett, the Yellows pulled off a shock 2-1 victory against Kieran McKenna’s men in OX4 in late November, Mark Harris and Przemyslaw Placheta scoring the goals.
They were defeated 2-1, however, in the second fixture, Will Lankshear scoring the only goal for the U’s at Portman Road.
The Tractor Boys are currently on the hunt for a new manager after McKenna stepped down last week in order to take a break from football management.
The U’s reportedly met with the Colchester United winger as they look to secure his services ahead of the 2026/27 League One campaign.
Thames Valley rivals Reading pulled the plug on their interest earlier this month but it has since been revealed that Wednesday and Huddersfield are both also in the race for Lisbie’s signature alongside Oxford and Peterborough United.
The 22-year-old scored 11 goals and managed eight assists in 45 League Two appearances last season and has one year left on his contract at the JobServe Community Stadium.
Football League World has named the Owls and the Terriers as two competitors to the U’s for Lisbie, whose twin brother, Kyrell, plays for third tier rivals Peterborough.
Lisbie is also the son of former Premier League and EFL striker, Kevin.
Matt Bloomfield’s Oxford held interest in the winger in January but were blocked alongside Reading FC from signing the player but Colchester United’s chairman.
An estimated fee of between £500-750K is Colchester’s current asking price.
Lisbie played for the academies of Leyton Orient, Watford and Brentford during his youth before experiencing his first taste of senior football for Cray Valley Paper Mills.
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He moved to Colchester from Brentford B in early 2025 and spent a brief time on loan with Braintree Town at the end of the 2024/25 season.
The Englishman won the Young Player of the Year award at Colchester’s end of season awards
After their relegation from the Championship, Oxford are looking to bolster and fill gaps in the squad after 15 players in total were released and had their loan spells end in OX4 last month.
The Yellows finished 22nd in the second tier, two places above rock-bottom side Wednesday with whom they are competing for Lisbie’s services.
After losing forward players like top scorer Will Lankshear, Myles Peart-Harris and Jamie Donley, more goals will be needed at the Kassam if they are to bounce straight back in League One.
Lisbie appeared on the right wing most frequently for Colchester last term, with the Essex club finishing 12th in the four tier.
Oxford only have supporters’ and players’ player of the year Stan Mills as a pure right midfielder and so the signing of the youngster would provide some healthy competition and quality backup for Mills.
The U’s are yet to make their first signing of the summer after the transfer window officially opened on Monday.
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