For those who follow the division or club, how big of a deal would it be if Barnsley were to win the playoff and get promoted? Would they be swallowed up in the PL? Would their fans just be happy to be in the PL?
From all that I've read over the last 4 months: it would be a big deal if Barnsley were promoted as they haven't been in the first division in England since the late 90s. Most observers expect they would get crushed in the EPL as they have massively overperformed this season (a lot of that thanks to Dike, obviously). However, some people have noted their moneyball signings have been good and under the radar of most clubs. They are a very young team, so there's potential there. Their oldest player is 30, next oldest 27, and most of the team is under 23. From reading some segments of Barnsley forums, their fans would be elated to be in the EPL (this would seem obvious). Most also have a realistic understanding that they stand little chance to stay up, but it would be fun anyway.
There’s a great Barnsley-related book (“Keeper of Dreams) about Lars Leese- who went from lower-league action in Germany to being reserve keeper at Bayer Leverkusen... and ends up at Barnsley. Even comes in as a sub for the injured started and manages to beat Liverpool. Barnsley fans sounded like quite a fun and interesting bunch.
Well, that's how Huddersfield fans reacted during their two seasons in the Prem and Barnsley are a somewhat smaller club, at least over the last 10 years or so. So, yes, that's their most likely reaction. They'd be well-advised to.
Given what we know about the management at Barnsley, they aren't going to take any big financial risks and gamble the future for a better chance at avoiding relegation. It's almost certain, IMO, that they will add a young player or two,* maybe try to find a loanee or two who is surplus at a major club, and pray for a miracle non-relegation. They will use the Prem money to try to bounce straight back up in the 22-23 season, and then stick. *If they aren't strong at LB, I think a key target may well be Antonee Robinson. He fits their acquisition strategy: he's very young with upside, and won't be too expensive. If he works out, fine, if he fails, no great loss, and if he exceeds expectations, flip him for a profit. Basically, their targets within England are going to be very young players on clubs that just got relegated.
The clubs that get relegated this year are still bigger and more affluent then Barnsley. It's not at all clear, even with their promotion, Barnsley in the the premier league is a more desirable destination then Fulham, WBA or Sheffield United in the championship. I don't think FFC will let Robinson go for a pittance and I don't think Barnsley will be able to afford the wages AR would seek. I would not be surprised to learn that the wage bill at FFC, WBA or Sheffield United will still be substantially more in the championship then Barnsley's in the EPL.
You may be right, but that will be Barnsley not wanting to tie their hands if they can't bounce back up. It won't be because they can't afford it.
If memory serves, I read a while back that Barnsley’s player budget was one of the lowest in the Championship at 8.1M pounds. While, the lowest EPL player budget was over 64M pounds. 8x as much. And the average EPL player budget was far higher than that. Buying players from relegated EPL teams is common, but it really does mess up a Championship team’s wage structure. I wonder if Dane, the Barnsley CEO will just try to draft in some bargain players from their other teams, accept that they won’t likely be EPL competitive, but prep a team capable of competing for a bounce back in a couple seasons.
It will depend on how much money they have to upgrade. Their owner, Chien Lee, is a big investor in securities and the hospitality industry, and owns about a dozen soccer clubs around the world. Needless to say, he's been badly affected by the pandemic. Pacific Media Group has minority stock in Barnsley, and as a company in the movie industry, they have also been badly affected by the pandemic. So, unless some other big name steps up, I think it's likely a "good to see you, thanks for playing, come back soon!" deal, like it was for WBA and Fulham.
Nominated for Championship Player of the Month: https://naijacampusjams.com/barnsle...-efl-championship-player-of-the-month-honors/ The “Oklahoma Hitman,” as many call Dike,
Biggest player of the season? That's probably Dike. Best? I'll leave that for actual fans of the club...
Another Player of the Month honor: This guy! 🙌Congratulations @DarylDike, the Championship PFA @BristolStMotors Fans’ Player of the Month for April!#PFAFansAwards pic.twitter.com/p1uuq0Cvsn— Barnsley FC (@BarnsleyFC) May 10, 2021
"We've always told each other at the training camps that we want to change how the world views American soccer, and now we have the staff, the players and the resources to do that." Sky Sports