Mansfield Town boss John Dempster has dismissed rumours Barnsley are set to make a January move for CJ Hamilton.
Speaking ahead of Mansfield’s first-round FA cup tie with non-league Chorley, Dempster said there was no truth whatsoever in the tweet from an account called Ex-Agent James Goodwin that claimed the Stags were willing to let the twenty-four-year-old leave in January with Barnsley said to interested.
https://twitter.com/ex_goodwin/status/1191004693746593792?s=20
Dempster said this with a smile on his face: ‘I don’t have a Twitter account, so I am unaware of that and that is news to me.’
‘It’s the first I’ve heard of it and there is no truth in that.’
The versatile forward enjoyed a fantastic season in 2018/19, scoring fourteen goals in fifty-five appearances as the Stags just missed out on automatic promotion and ultimately failed to negotiate the playoff hurdle, losing to Newport on penalties in the semi-final.
His blistering pace and eye for goal led to speculation in January that he would be snapped up by a Championship club with Preston North End and West Bromwich Albion reported to have been interested with a potential fee of £750,000 rumoured.
However, a move never materialised, and he stayed at Field Mill. This season has not been so great for Hamilton, who currently finds himself out of favour with Dempster whose benched him in recent weeks.
Our View
Hamilton has not been the same player under Dempster he was under Flitcroft, and it could be time for Mansfield to cash in on a player whose contract expires in the summer.
He has the ability but looks like a man who needs a fresh start, a move seems likely in January, but whether James Goodwin is right, and Barnsley make a move, only time will tell.
Let’s face it; managers never confirm a rumour in a press conference so there could still be some truth in it.
Barnsley could undoubtedly do with some forward reinforcements in January, and it’s not the first time Hamilton has been linked with the Tykes.
