Highlights
- Oxford United is active in the transfer market, adding 9 new players early on.
- Ovie Ejaria is on trial at Oxford United and could join them to boost midfield.
- Ali Al-Hamadi may be loaned to Oxford United for more attacking options, but the transfer could be late.
Oxford United will be hoping they can get as much of their transfer business done as possible before the Championship season begins.
The U’s have been very busy already in the early weeks of this transfer window, with them bringing in nine new players.
Des Buckingham is likely going to want more new players as he tries to get his club in a strong position to attack the Championship campaign.
However, like most clubs, they will not be able to get all their business done before the season begins.
With that said, here we have looked at two Oxford United deals that will push the August 30th transfer deadline…
Ovie Ejaria
Ovie Ejaria is currently a free agent after leaving Reading FC in January of this year.
The midfielder, who started his career at Arsenal, has played for the likes of Liverpool, Rangers FC, and, of course, Reading.
The 26-year-old is now looking for his next club, and that could potentially be Oxford United, as the U’s have taken the midfielder on trial.
It has been confirmed that the former Reading man is on trial with the Championship side ahead of the new season.
Ejaria has played for the club, as he featured in the pre-season game against Oxford City, and he will be hoping to do enough to secure a contract for this season.
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Ovie Ejaria’s Championship stats |
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|---|---|
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Apps |
135 |
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Goals |
10 |
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Assists |
13 |
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Stats as per Transfermarkt (As it stands on July 25th) |
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It was reported earlier this summer that Millwall, Plymouth Argyle, and Sheffield Wednesday held an interest in the player, but at this moment in time, he could be heading to Oxford.
However, this could be a deal that will push towards the end of the transfer window, as the player may want to take his time when deciding his next club.
Given that he is a free agent, there is no rush for the player to join a new team; obviously, he would like to find a new club before the season begins. But if that isn’t possible, Ejaria could be a player who takes his time before deciding his next move.
Ali Al-Hamadi
Buckingham will have the aim of improving Oxford United’s goalscoring threat, as whenever a team is promoted, they need to make sure they have enough firepower to make an impact in the league above.
The U’s already have players such as Mark Harris, Ruben Rodrigues, and Will Goodman, to name a few, in the forward area, but they could probably do with more options.
It was claimed towards the end of last month that Ali Al-Hamadi did not feature in Kieran McKenna’s plans for their Premier League season, and that has opened the door for Oxford United to sign the player on loan.
The 22-year-old joined the Tractor Boys in the January transfer window after being very impressive for AFC Wimbledon in the early part of last season.
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Al-Hamadi continued that form for Ipswich, as he scored four goals in 14 Championship games, but with the club now in the top flight and already adding Liam Delap to their attacking options, the Iraq international could have fallen down the pecking order slightly.
Therefore, a temporary move away may be on the cards this month, and Oxford seem keen on landing the forward.
But this could potentially be a signing that goes on late into the window, as it may depend on if Ipswich have made their mind up about letting Al-Hamadi leave or if Oxford are looking at other targets as well.