Oxford united FC
Oxford United ready to ‘get deals done’ under Aaron Ramsey
The U’s replaced Matt Bloomfield with former Arsenal midfielder Ramsey, the 35-year-old quickly securing his first permanent head coach role after retiring in April.
The Oxford squad is now set to report back for pre-season next week although the new boss has met and is familiar with a few of the players.
The transfer window has been open for over a week now and Yellows supporters are still waiting for the first incoming of the summer.
There was speculation that the managerial situation in OX4 has meant player recruitment had been postponed, however Waldron confirmed the contrary.
“No,” he replied at Ramsey’s inaugural press conference.
“There’s been a plan in place for a long time. Two plans in place to be honest going back to last season. Naturally, over the last couple of days, of course it has.
“Players want to wait to see who you’re going to bring in. Thankfully this has been wrapped up pretty quickly. Myself and Aaron and the club are really aligned on what we think the squad needs and now it’s a case of executing that plan.
“We actually had a Zoom call this morning with our new chairman. Of course, [we are] finalising bits with Aaron’s staff and being ready for pre-season, but of course recruitment is priority number one.
Outgoings are also something the club is considering.
READ MORE: Oxford United CEO on shock timing of Bloomfield sacking
READ MORE: Ex-Arsenal Aaron Ramsey’s first words as Oxford United manager
“We’ve had a few bids. I think we’re in a really fortunate place with our shareholders and our owners. Unless you’re Real Madrid, you have to be a selling club.
“If players leave, it will be on our terms. It’s not going to be a flash sale or anything like that.
“We’ve discussed with Dusan and Tim and the owners that one of what we think can be our strength this year is a continuity within the group.
“We feel like we’ve got the core of a really good group many of which have been promoted out of League One and many of which have played close to 100 games in the Championship now or more.
“Retention will be important and like every team we want to keep our best players.
“We’re all acutely aware we’ve got a full squad as it stands. Of course, some players will go, we are going to improve in certain areas. But what we can’t do is say: ‘there you go, Aaron, there’s 30 players, day one of pre-season, knock yourself out’.
“It doesn’t work. Timing is everything in football. We have to make sure that those two things align.”
The Yellows travel to West Yorkshire on Tuesday night for their third League One fixture of the season.
Ramsey’s side have drawn and won each of their first couple of third-tier games so far and will face Huddersfield for the first time in a competitive match since 2004.
The Terriers have begun the campaign with the same record, looking impressive under manager Martin Drury.
Oxford beat last season’s play-off semi-finalists Stevenage last time out, two second-half strikes seeing a resolute United past their physical opponents.
“We want to be on the front foot,” Ramsey reiterated ahead of the trip to the Accu Stadium.
“We want to be controlling games and that’s the way that my staff and I feel like is the best way to do that and win football games.
“It’s difficult to just keep taking blows and blows and trying to keep the opposition.
“For me, it’s to have as much control on the game as possible.”
The last time Oxford faced off against the Terriers was in March 2004 when they were beaten 1-0 at home in the Third Division.
In their 26 total match-ups, the Yellows have won just nine whilst Huddersfield have come away victorious on 13 occasions.
Drury’s side finished ninth in the third tier last season but, after bringing in some good new signings, are set for a strong campaign in a competitive league.
“They’re a really good team,” Ramsey admitted.
“The manager has implemented his ideas across there and you can see that they’re a settled team with good ideas.
“But, again, full focus is on us and on how we want to approach the game.
“We’ve had a few tests so far, which we really stood up to.
“So, it’ll be different on Tuesday, another tough test, but one that will prepare the boys as best we can.
READ MORE: Ramsey says Mills departure ‘best solution’ for Oxford United
READ MORE: Ex-Oxford United goalkeeper Jacob Knightbridge joins Tottenham Hotspur
“When the boys are playing the way that they are and buying into it, yeah, of course, there has to be positivity around there.
“Obviously, as well, there’s moments when we do look back on things and we identify areas that we can improve on.
“We want to win football games, so we need to score goals. We want to be exciting.”
Tuesday night also sees the arrival of transfer deadline day.
11PM – approximately an hour after full time in West Yorkshire – sees the window slam shut.
Oxford remain under a temporary transfer embargo, however Ramsey has said that the club is “working to try and come up with a few things” after Stanley Mills left for Championship club Preston North End last week.
Following a turbulent summer at Oxford United, which has included a change of manager and a transfer embargo, the club’s CEO has resigned.
Source link
The summer-long saga has felt more like a decade and surely head coach Aaron Ramsey has felt the same after enduring the ritual of being asked about Mills’ status on a weekly basis.
After missing the U’s first pre-season friendly, the winger scored in the second, a 2-1 win over Barnet, and featured in the following couple.
He then missed out in the first competitive game of the season, a 2-0 Carabao Cup defeat at Leyton Orient, before a move to PNE was confirmed by Ramsey ahead of the League One opening day, but not until January.
Mills messaged his boss requesting not to play in the 2-2 opening day home draw with MK Dons before coming off the bench to assist Gatlin O’Donkor in the Yellows’ 2-1 win at Stevenage.
That would prove to be the 22-year-old’s final display in a United shirt, the young attacker showing little enthusiasm upon Oxford taking the lead in Hertfordshire, hinting that his head had certainly been turned.
“I’ve known about it all summer and from the start I’ve wanted to be here, wanted to get going as a Preston player and now it is official.”
Mills’ first words as a Lilywhites player say it all.
Considering the former Everton man has never scored more than three goals in a senior season, my personal opinion was that a January move would be ideal for all parties.
In an ideal world, Oxford would keep a star player for six months, Mills could get his numbers up as a standout player in a weaker league and PNE would get an in-form winger through the doors in the new year.
READ MORE: Ramsey says Mills departure ‘best solution’ for Oxford United
READ MORE: Ex-Oxford United goalkeeper Jacob Knightbridge joins Tottenham Hotspur
But patience is a rare virtue in football these days and off goes the winger to Lancashire.
So, what now for United?
The U’s are without a recognised right-sided midfielder – young Aidan Elliott-Wheeler could be considered – and remain under a temporary transfer embargo.
Aidomo Emakhu has played on the right so far this season and has offered some outlet but he does look much more comfortable in his more natural position on the right.
Then there is 17-year-old Mo Missanga, a youngster who helped change the tide on the opening day against MK Dons and who has excited supporters and the U’s boss alike.
Ramsey has hinted that the Yellows are searching for solutions, and it is understood that a loan transfer where Oxford do not pay any share of the player’s wages could be a way of bringing a player in before Tuesday’s deadline.
Given the circumstances, it will be difficult to replace the ability of Mills but there is certainly a sense of relief that this saga is over.
Now it is time to focus on the football and maintain a strong league position heading into January.
-
Oxford News3 weeks agoTrain cancellation alert amid ‘fault’ near London Paddington
-
Oxford News2 weeks agoMuseum evacuated and Oxford University closed amid incident
-
Business & Technology4 weeks agoMuscle Food at risk of closing after entering administration
-
Student Life4 weeks agoMy year of rest and rustication
-
Business & Technology4 weeks agoHistoric town faces series of high street shop closures
-
Student Life4 weeks agoAcademic tourism: Oxford University and its summer schools
-
Business & Technology3 weeks agoCurrys rolls out NiCE software to unify customer service
-
Oxford Events3 weeks agoWilderness Festival 2026: four days of music, food, art and wild escapism