Despite coming out on top in a thrilling five-goal encounter in the second leg of their play-off semi-final on Tuesday night, Barnsley will be in League One once again next season.
A brace from Sam Cosgrove and a goal from Adam Phillips gave them a 3-2 away victory over opponents Bolton Wanderers, but unfortunately, the damage had been done in the first leg.
The Trotters had won the first tie 3-1 at Oakwell, meaning, despite Tuesday’s result, they headed to Wembley with a 5-4 aggregate victory.
Bolton will now face Oxford United at Wembley on May 18 to decide which club will be plying their trade in the Championship next season, and which team won’t be taking on the Tykes in 2024-25.
Devante Cole’s Barnsley future is up in the air
With striker Devante Cole’s contract set to expire this summer and the fact that Barnsley has not been promoted, the club now faces a difficult scenario.
The 29-year-old scored 18 goals in League One this year, but he could leave this summer as he is now expected to be available on a free transfer.
He may have a few options because multiple teams have previously been connected to his signature.
The Championship teams that are rumoured to have shown interest in the striker in the past include Middlesbrough, Bristol City, Swansea City, and Stoke City.
Carlton Palmer discusses Devante Cole’s Barnsley future
With the above in mind, we asked former England international midfielder and pundit Carlton Palmer for his thoughts on what the future could hold for Cole.
Palmer was clear that he believes the 29-year-old will move on this summer.
“Devante Cole, Barnsley’s talented striker is out of contract this summer, and with Barnsley failing to get promoted, they will struggle now to keep Devante on,” Palmer said when speaking to FLW.
“I would be very surprised if Devante signs a new contract at Barnsley.
“The striker has scored 16 goals in 53 appearances in all competitions last season and then built on that from a personal perspective this time around.
“He’s been very integral for Barnsley again this season, scoring 18 goals in 49 outings. Clubs were looking at him before, such as Middlesbrough, Stoke City, Swansea City, Bristol City, Hull and Cardiff were all eyeing Devante and I expect there’ll be a queue for his services.
“He’s been very integral for Barnsley again this season, scoring 18 goals in 49 outings. Clubs were looking at him before, such as Middlesbrough, Stoke City, Swansea City, Bristol City, Hull and Cardiff were all eyeing Devante and I expect there’ll be a queue for his services.
“The only way Barnsley could have kept Devante Cole – they needed to get promotion back to the Championship. So, back-to-back defeats in play-off situations, last year and this year, will signal the end for Devante and he’ll be moving on to pastures new.”
Going further, Palmer believes that Cole could be a good fit for Stoke City given his style of play.
“It will be interesting to see where he ends up because he’s a very direct player, he’s big, he’s strong,” Palmer added.
“I’m wondering if Stoke City might be the type of place where he could go. The manager likes that type of centre-forward, big, rangy and can run off the last man’s shoulder.
“With Stoke set to lose Tyrese Campbell, this could be a very good replacement for Stoke City.”
With Cole’s contract expiry date fast approaching, it will certainly be interesting to see what club he does end up at this summer, if indeed he does leave Barnsley.
