Barnsley On The Brink Of Sealing International Signature
League One side Barnsley are closing in on securing the signature of French defender Maël de Gevigney, according to journalist Doug O’Kane from the Barnsley Chronicle.
The 23-year-old centre-back is set to make the move to Oakwell from Ligue 2 side Nimes, where he made 31 appearances for the club last season as they suffered relegation.
It is understood by the Barnsley Chronicle that the move for de Gevigney is thought to be extremely close and that an announcement of his signing could be imminent.
Barnsley are in the market for a new central defender following the departure of Mads Andersen to Premier League newcomers Luton Town. The Tykes have also had to deal with the departure of Bobby Thomas with his loan deal expiring, who has since signed for Coventry City from Burnley, as well as Jasper Moon, who has penned a permanent deal with Burton Albion.
When asked about speculation linking the Frenchman to Barnsley, head coach Neill Collins was not in a position to give anything away, but was also asked if there was potentially any chance a new signing could play in their opening fixture against Port Vale.
“There are a lot of factors to consider if it’s the right thing to do,” said Collins.
“I couldn’t answer from a contract or logistics point of view. But we would always be pushing to have as many players involved as we could.”
The capture of de Gevigney would be The Tykes’ eighth summer signing of the transfer window, following in the names that have made to move to Yorkshire such as goalkeepers Liam Roberts (loan) and Ben Killip, defenders Kacper Lopata, Korey O’Keeffe and Kyran Lofthouse, as well as forwards Max Watters and Andrew Dallas.
Writer’s View
The name Maël de Gevigney is certainly not one that’s familiar around the English game, but if there is a position that Barnsley need to strengthen over the course of the next few weeks, it’s in defence.
There are some big shoes to fill as well following the departure of Mads Andersen, who has since made the switch to Luton Town of the Premier League. Is de Gevigney the man to replace Andersen? Who knows.
If the deal was to be completed as expected, I’d be sure to keep an eye out on the 23-year-old in a Barnsley shirt in the upcoming League One campaign.
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EFL announce change affecting Leeds United, Sheffield Wednesday, Middlesbrough, Huddersfield Town, Hull City, Barnsley FC, Bradford City and more
Previously, timers would stop on the 45-minute mark before half-time or on the 90-minute mark in the latter stages of the second-half. However, with the EFL keen to enhance the amount of time the ball is in play, the exact timings will now be viewable in additional time.
A statement released by the EFL: read: “Stadium clocks, scoreboards or giant screen timers in the EFL will now be left running until the completion of each half, which includes any additional time at the end of either the first or second half.
“Previously, these would stop at 45 or 90 minutes, however in line with the most recent IFAB guidance, including Match Officials’ new approach to time keeping, this will now change for the upcoming season (where technology allows).
“As confirmed last week, in an attempt to enhance the amount of time the ball is in play in the forthcoming campaign, the exact time lost when certain game events occur will now be added. In previous seasons the policy was to add on a nominal period of time for certain game events.
“Supporters across the game will be familiar with the changes in relation to the calculation of additional time, with both the Men’s World Cup in 2022 and Women’s World Cup this summer adopting a variation of this approach.
“With the revised calculation for additional time coming into effect from this season, this will of course keep spectators and indeed players informed, and is a key innovation in ensuring further transparency in regard to game management.”
Other measures introduced by the EFL include a multi-ball system and a rule stating players being assessed for potential injuries must be looked at off the pitch, with select exceptions.
