Barnsley FC: Director of football not in Tykes’ plans – Khaled El-Ahmad

El-Ahmad is currently leading a review into a difficult season which is likely to culminate in relegation to League One, unless a miraculous turn of events transpires in the coming weeks.

Recruitment has been cited as a significant reason for the Reds’ demise and El-Ahmad admits that a dysfunctional close season – where there was a lack of alignment in terms of recruitment strategy – has played a major part in a tough campaign.

Allied to the much-criticised decision to bring in Markus Schopp as Valerien Ismael’s successor, it has led many supporters to suggest that bringing in a football ‘supremo’ overseeing football aspects of the club would be a step in the right direction.

El-Ahmad, who started his role in early September, said: “We are looking at everything from sports performance analysis and how to restructure that – to see what is the best and most stable way to look at it.

“As for a specific director of football right now? I don’t think so.

“Last year, we had no director of football and we had one of the most successful seasons in history.

“We have had good and bad seasons when there has not been a director of football. I think it comes down to the processes of the decisions we do and that they align with all the departments, so we can minimise the risk.

“It could be a head of coaching or various roles where we are looking to see how this club can develop and grow.

“Since I have come, the decisions have been based on thorough processes and they have been group decisions and we have involved a lot of people.

“The coaching and recruitment team were involved and we knew what type of players we wanted. If you maybe look at last summer, there might have been that risk of hiring and signing without a plan and sticking to what was successful before. It created a bit of a void.”

Another thing that El-Ahmad is keen to avoid – whatever Barnsley find themselves in 2022-23 – is another sluggish start to a season.

The Tykes picked up just one win in 15 league games at the start of the current campaign.

That resulted in the departure of Markus Schopp, while the Reds also started poorly in the previous campaign.

It took the Oakwell outfit until their eighth league game to register their first three points in 2020-21, with Gerhard Struber having left the club in early season to be replaced by Ismael.

In 2019-20, Barnsley won just one of their first 18 Championship matches and again changed head coach in the autumn with Struber replacing Daniel Stendel.

El-Ahmad continued: “One thing I have (also) been trying to look at and prepare for next season is why over the last three seasons has Barnsley started so poorly.

“Why? Do we need to come (in) early, is it something we need to do in pre-season. That is something we need to review as well.”