Oxford united FC
Oxford United boss confirms Stan Mills absence ahead of Carabao Cup
The U’s kick off their season with a trip to League One rivals Orient in the cup, a first competitive fixture for new head coach Ramsey after a pre-season with four wins out of four.
The former Arsenal midfielder was appointed as Matt Bloomfield’s successor in June, with the club being hit with a temporary transfer embargo shortly after.
Three players have left the club since the ban – Ole Romeny, Nik Prelec and Will Vaulks – with rumours also recently surfacing regarding winger and last season’s player of the year Mills.
The 22-year-old scored twice in three games during pre-season including a second goal against Premier League side Ipswich Town.
“Stan has missed a couple of days of training, so he’ll be seeing how he gets through the next today and seeing what he can do,” Ramsey confirmed.
“But same with Brian [De Keersmaecker] as well, just seeing how today looks and seeing if they come through OK to be available for tomorrow.
“The rest of the squad are all trained well this week and they’re raring to go as well.”
Belgian midfielder De Keersmaecker did not feature during pre-season.
With the Yellows currently unable to replace any departing players, the club has a fight to keep the squad together during the last month of the transfer window.
READ MORE: Oxford United squad competition heats up ahead of League One season
READ MORE: Oxford United boss Aaron Ramsey credits Arsene Wenger
“They are always are tricky, aren’t they?” Ramsey answered when questioned whether it would be a difficult rest of the window.
“With things going on in the background and stuff like that, but that’s all part and parcel of the job and me as a manager to be able to manage them situations.
“But for me, the players, they’ve been fully committed and I can’t speak highly enough of them.
“I’m really excited now for them to show what they can do this season.”
The 35-year-old begins his first season as a head coach with a trip to East London in the cup after retiring from professional football in April.
“It’s different, obviously being on the side line, but I can’t stress enough that I am really excited for this.
“I’m ready for this opportunity and I hope that’s evident to see now.
“The team and the squad have been fantastic throughout pre-season and now it’s just about adding layers to that and for that to come to life now in these games.
“It’s a chance to win a trophy at the end of the day, so for us it’s an important competition and we want to be testing ourselves against the teams and seeing how far we can progress.”
The former Oxford centre forward was a free agent after leaving the club last season.
Bradshaw, 34, has scored 115 goals in 473 career league appearances.
Last season, he was loaned to Barnsley in League One, where he scored three goals, including two against his new club.
He had no goals but one assist from his 18 games at Oxford.
The former Wales international is the Millers’ ninth summer signing and could debut in Saturday’s Carabao Cup first-round tie against West Bromwich Albion.
His contract includes an option for an additional year, though it’s unclear whether this is player or club option.
He becomes the ninth new player at the club for this season.
Rotherham were relegated to League Two last season.
Aaron Ramsey’s Yellows won all four of their summer friendlies, rounding off with a 2-0 victory over Premier League club Ipswich Town.
The U’s were hit with a temporary transfer embargo last month meaning they are unable to register any new players until they prove their compliance with the EFL’s Squad Cost Management Protocol (SCMP) regulations.
This means opportunity has risen even further for youngsters and players previously considered on the fringes and competition for places has risen.
Goalkeeper
Jamie Cumming is firmly the number one choice in between the sticks, with veteran Simon Eastwood the only senior alternative.
The 37-year-old did perform particularly well against Barnet, however, reassuring fans that, if worse comes to worst, he would be able to step in relatively comfortably.
Defence
Against Ipswich, Sam Long and Ciaron started together for the first time in pre-season and played for the majority to secure a first friendly clean sheet.
Young centre back James Golding has looked mature whilst the experienced Michal Helik has been solid; Ramsey may prefer the slightly better ball playing of Long and Brown.
Jack Currie and Brodie Spencer will almost definitely be the first-choice full backs, but Greg Leigh has looked back to his best, particularly against Crawley Town, and Peter Kioso has not looked out of place.
Midfield
With Vaulks gone and Brian De Keersmaecker yet to appear since his surgery in February, competition is rife in midfield.
Captain Cameron Brannagan will start, with tough-tackling Jamie McDonnell next to him last time out.
Louie Sibley offers an alternative, but McDonnell has impressed more recently at a higher level than Sibley who struggled both with Oxford and on loan last season.
The real chance comes for young Harrison Bradney who has impressed with his energy and composure; he could stake a real claim for a consistent place on the U’s bench this year.
Star man Stan Mills will play on the right, whilst Aidomo Emakhu has been a force on the left combining well with Currie.
Tyler Goodrham has returned and been at the heart of many attacking moves in the no.10 role.
Outcast midfielder Siriki Dembele has shown glimpses of excitement as he has returned to the fold, with Ramsey speaking highly of how he has trained; he will provide decent competition for Emakhu and Goodrham.
With longer-term injuries to Jeon Jin-woo and Ruben Roosken, Aidan Elliott-Wheeler and Leo Snowden, who have both shown promise, also have a chance at becoming rotation options for Ramsey.
Striker
Mark Harris is the most senior option of the two, but has scored no goals in pre-season compared to Gatlin O’Donkor’s three.
Harris is more proven with 19 goals in his last League One campaign in 2023/24, but will have genuine competition if 21-year-old O’Donkor can maintain his goal threat heading into the competitive action.
The U’s remain under a temporary transfer embargo which sees them banned from registering any new players until they prove their compliance with the EFL’s Squad Cost Management Protocol (SCMP) regulations.
Oxford brought in one new player prior to the embargo being confirmed, with former Heart of Midlothian centre back joining on a free transfer.
He, however, has suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury which will keep the 30-year-old side-lined for a number of months.
Meanwhile, United’s league rivals are making sure to strengthen ahead of the 2026/27 campaign.
The headline transfer news in the third-tier this week has been the loan transfer of Tommy Watson to Leicester City from Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion.
Watson joins on a season-long loan deal after just a year at Brighton having arrived from Sunderland last summer.
The 20-year-old scored the winning goal which saw the Black Cats beat Sheffield United in the 2024/25 Championship play-off final at Wembley despite already agreeing a £10 million move to the south coast.
He played just 10 times for the Seagulls and spent the second half of last season at Millwall.
Watson now drops down to the third tier in an attempt to help Leicester bounce back to the Championship after relegation alongside the U’s last term.
Elsewhere, MK Dons have continued to make waves in the window by bringing in former Middlesbrough winger Sam Silvera.
The newly-promoted Dons have brought in the winger on a free transfer after he was released by Boro at the end of last season.
It is another statement signing for Paul Warne’s side, with the Australian a first-choice name for the Teessiders last season until injury curtailed his season.
READ MORE: Oxford United boss Aaron Ramsey credits Arsene Wenger
READ MORE: Will Vaulks leaves Oxford United to join Tranmere Rovers
The 25-year-old scored eight goals in 65 appearances for Boro.
Most recently, Oxford have seen Will Vaulks leave for League Two club Tranmere Rovers from whose academy he graduated.
The 32-year-old departs after two years at the club, playing 88 times.
Oxford’s first opponents of the season, Leyton Orient who they face in the Carabao Cup on Saturday, are in the midst of a fight to keep hold of star striker Dom Ballard.
The 21-year-old, who scored 23 goals and managed five assists in League One last year, is the target of Championship club Bristol City who are reportedly making a final push to sign the striker.
The Robins have offered £5 million for Ballard’s services, according to reporter Alan Nixon, with the O’s having held firm but are resigned to losing the prolific goal scorer.
Other moves in the division see Ollie Cooper join Notts County on loan from Swansea City and Stockport County sign Luca Ashby-Hammond after leaving Plymouth Argyle.
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