Today’s Daily Mail has linked Barnsley with a loan move for West Brom defender Craig Dawson as new boss Keith Hill has told the Oakwell faithful to prepare for a few surprises in the transfer market.
Hill has identified six or seven new recruits to his threadbare squad for the 2011-2012 season and has told sporting life that some of those players may not be conventional players.
He is quoted as saying:
There will be a surprise element to some of the players we are looking to recruit,
"We have got targets in mind but it's very difficult to get an answer - yes, no, maybe - as there will be other options for agents and players."
Hill has revealed he will be looking all around the English football pyramid for new blood.
"We won't discount any league for transfer targets, whether its non-league, League One, League Two, Championship or the Premier League," he added.
"We will look right across the spectrum and we'll try and recruit the same calibre of player that shares the same values as myself and Flicker that can be successful for Barnsley Football Club."
One of those could be a short term deal for highly rated Albion defender Dawson, who spent last season and the whole of 2009-2010 with Hill at Rochdale.
The 21 year old, who was born in Rochdale started his career at non league Radcliffe Borough and was their player of the season in 2008-2009, before Hill brought him to Spotland in the summer of 2009, having fought off interest from Bury,Crewe, Port Vale and Northwich Victoria to agree a deal in the February. He played 46 games for Dale that season, playing a pivotal role as the club won promotion for the first time in 41 years by finishing third in League Two, and in turn earning himself the League Two Player of the Year award.
Those eye catching displays earned him a move to Premier League West Bromwich Albion in the summer of 2010 on a three year contract but as a clause in the contract he returned to Spotland on loan for the entirety of 2010-2011. He made 41 appearances this term, scoring an impressive nine times as Dale earned themselves a fantastic ninth place finish in their first season in League One.Barnsley face competition from Burnley to reunite Dawson with his former boss.