Oxford united FC
Oxford United: Ramsey on Mills and De Keersmaecker absences
The U’s won their first match under ex-Arsenal and Premier League midfielder Ramsey thanks to strikes from Aidomo Emakhu, Galtin O’Donkor and Jeon Jin-woo after going a goal down.
Ramsey confirmed that the club are committed to keeping the current playing squad intact after being hit with a registration embargo earlier this month.
United returned from a week-long warm-weather training camp in Spain on Sunday.
Stan Mills, Brian De Keersmaecker and Siriki Dembele were notable absentees from the trip to Aldershot on Tuesday, with the Yellows boss detailing the reasons for their missing out.
South Korean winger Jin-woo was also withdrawn through injury minutes after scoring his goal at the EBB Stadium.
“Stan was ill, so he didn’t come away with us, but he’s been back training now for the next couple of days and will start with the team tomorrow,” Ramsey confirmed.
“Brian as well; he came away to pre-season [in Spain] with us, but he’s got a bit of an illness as well.
“These things are always going to happen.
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“You’re never going to have everybody available at one time, but we’ll manage this and we’ll get them in the best possible shape for the beginning of the season.
“Jin-woo got a bit of a stiff back. The medical team will deal with that tomorrow and give their assessments on that.
“I have been really impressed by him so far. He took his goal really well.
“We started him in that sort of pocket, and we know that he can press and he’s a danger in them positions.
“The finish and the calmness and composure to do that was brilliant.”
Mills and De Keersmaecker have both garnered reported interest from Championship clubs in recent weeks, with Blackburn Rovers and Queens Park Rangers apparently keen on the latter according to reporter Pete O’Rourke.
After falling out of favour last year, midfielder Dembele has an opportunity to stake his claim for a spot in Ramsey’s squad this season amid the embargo.
“I’ve been very impressed by the way he’s been training,” the 35-year-old head coach said regarding Dembele.
“He’s a threat. “He’s so sharp in his movements. He’s going to cause defenders problems this year.
“He took a whack yesterday and got a bit of a dead leg so we thought it was best to leave him out.”
The three initial absentees are expected to feature in the rest of pre-season, with United travelling to face League Two side Barnet at 3pm on Saturday.
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
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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.
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.
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