Oxford united FC
How Oxford United’s loan players have fared since January
The U’s currently have seven names out loan, with striker Tom Bradshaw also leaving in the winter window alongside second loans for Stephan Negru and James Golding.
With some crucial games ahead, the Oxford Mail takes a look at the fortunes of the Yellows who are temporarily elsewhere.
Louie Sibley
The 24-year-old joined Bradford City who are chasing promotion from League One, but has played just four league games for the Bantams and has been left out of the last seven squads, falling out of favour after disappointing early performances and an ankle injury.
Sibley was substituted at half time on his debut and has not yet looked up to scratch despite manager Graham Alexander having high hopes for him.
Bradford are currently fourth in the league and look set to achieve a play-off placed finish.
Peter Kioso
On loan at 12th-placed Peterborough United, Kioso has been a mainstay in the Posh team for the majority of the season.
Captaining the side on 15 occasions in League One, the right back has scored once and assisted twice in his second loan spell at London Road.
Owen Dale
Dale has drifted in and out at Plymouth Argyle, but has started the last four games and finally scored his first goal of the season in a 3-1 home win against Huddersfield Town last time out.
Appearing 25 times in all competitions, the 27-year-old winger has also managed two assists for the play-off chasing Pilgrims.
🚨 EXCLUSIVE: Former Premier League Golden Boot winner Kevin Phillips says Will Lankshear is someone who must ‘step up’ in #OxfordUnited‘s fight for survival 🆙 🟡
🗣️ “He’s got ability…he just needs to showcase it a little bit more consistently”#oufchttps://t.co/x5xlFhVRkB
— malachi (@MalachiObrey) March 25, 2026
Tom Bradshaw
Veteran striker Bradshaw joined Barnsley in January and scored his only Tykes goal so far in his second appearance, a 3-3 draw with AFC Wimbledon.
Since then, he has played a further eight times in League One, managing one assist.
Will Goodwin
After missing the first chunk of the season through injury, Goodwin has managed 24 total appearances for Colchester United, scoring two goals.
Recent weeks have seen the 23-year-old used as an impact substitute for the midtable U’s.
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Stephan Negru
The centre back endured an injury-hit, unsuccessful spell at Bristol Rovers in the first half of the campaign before joining Tranmere Rovers in January.
He played all ten games since his debut in early February, but the Super White Army have struggled in that time, losing eight of those matches.
The other two games saw a win and a draw, with Negru contributing to clean sheets in both.
James Golding
Despite missing the last match with a calf injury, young centre back Golding has played eight games during his second spell at Southend United.
With two clean sheets, the 21-year-old has also scored two goals which came in back-to-back wins over Forest Green Rovers and Rochdale.
The 35-year-old was appointed into his first head coach role in June, taking over at United from Matt Bloomfield after retiring from professional football in April.
Ramsey has enjoyed a successful start to his tenure in OX4 so far, securing four wins from four pre-season fixtures, including a 2-0 victory over Premier League side Ipswich Town.
The former Gunners midfielder has also had to manage the squad amidst a temporary transfer ban which sees Oxford unable to register any new player until they prove compliance with the EFL’s Squad Cost Management Protocol (SCMP) regulations.
The ex-Wales international played under some world-renowned managers during his successful playing career in the likes of Wenger, Aston Villa boss Unai Emery and former Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri.
“Arsene was a huge part of the success that I had as a player,” the Yellows head coach detailed after the pre-season win over Ipswich.
“And obviously, I took so much from him as well, from the manager side of things.
“But I’ve been very lucky and blessed to have played for some really good managers over the years, which I’ve taken little bits from as well.
“So, yes, I wouldn’t just say it’s all him, but definitely he’s formed part of that.”
Similarly to Wenger, Ramsey possesses a calm demeanour on the touchline, more often than not on the edge of his technical area with the occasional instruction directed at a player or the team as a whole.
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He is visibly calm and contemplative, something which he himself acknowledges.
“I think that’s me as a player, though. I’ve always been quite calm and comfortable in situations. So for me, that’s the way that I am.
“And I want my players to feel that and to feel like they can go out there and express themselves.
“So, yes, when they play like that [against Ipswich], it does make it a lot easier for me on the side lines.
“I think we need to be confident in what we’re trying to do for us to be able to really showcase exactly what we can do.
“It’s that confidence which is important without stepping over the line, but we need to embrace that.”
The U’s begin their campaign this Saturday with a Carabao Cup clash with League One rivals Leyton Orient.
Ramsey will be hoping his side can take the confidence and impressive performances from pre-season into the competitive campaign.
League action begins a week later, with the Yellows hosting newly-promoted MK Dons at the Kassam on the opening day.
The U’s return to the third tier after a two-year stay in the Championship, suffering relegation last term with a 22nd-placed finish under Matt Bloomfield.
The club revealed their new home strip last month and have worn it twice during pre-season when they beat Crawley Town 3-1 and Ipswich Town 2-0 at the Kassam Stadium.
Oxford’s away kit was released with a video on social media titled ‘Performance Inspires’, the shirt being inspired by Oxford’s performing arts, with a ballet performance filmed at Oxford New Theatre.
The video is soundtracked by a reimagined take on Oxford band Foals’ song ‘What Went Down’.
The shirt is available to buy online and in-store.
The 32-year-old midfielder joined United in 2024 and played 88 games for the club, scoring two goals.
His last goal for the club came in the final home game of last season, a 4-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday.
On 14 January 2025, he scored his first goal for the club in a 1–1 league draw away against Plymouth Argyle.
He will now join Tranmere who are in League Two.
The Wales international did not make any senior appearances for Tranmere in his first spell but has signed a two-year deal with the club.
The U’s are in the midst of a temporary transfer embargo and will not currently be able to replace the midfielder.
As well as his contributions on the pitch, Vaulks was also a pioneer in the Oxfordshire community, using his personal story to establish the award-winning Can We Talk? suicide prevention campaign.
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He introduced a suicide prevention check-in app for staff, delivered training to employees and supporters, and led workshops across the county, including at RAF Brize Norton.
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.
Vaulks made seven appearances for Wales, his most recent coming in a 1-1 draw with Czechia in 2022.
Oxford United begin their League One campaign next week with a home clash against MK Dons after suffering relegation from the second tier last season.
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