"Fair in the end": Mansfield Town boss on sale of Davis Keillor-Dunn to Barnsley - following a 'derisory' opening offer

After weeks of speculation, Keillor-Dunn sealed his move to the Reds late on Friday after pushing for a switch up the M1 for a number of weeks.

The 26-year-old had an outstanding 2023-24 campaign, helping the Stags to promotion and also being named in the EFL League Two Team of the Season - top-scoring with 22 goals for the Nottinghamshire outfit.

National football magazine FourFourTwo's readers also voted Keillor-Dunn as the best player in League Two.

On the move, Clough told the Mansfield Chad: “I think the fee that Mr and Mrs Radford (Mansfield owners) got for him on the final day was brilliant – very close to a club record if it isn't a club record.

"The first offer we received from Barnsley was the definition of derisory.

"It has been rumbling on a few weeks and I think it was fair in the end.

"And it was the right deal for us as the player did not want to be here.

"It will take a bit of getting used to him being gone, but we will adapt and move on as you do in football. Players come and players go."

Clough admitted that the Sunderland-born player had been keen to leave since the start of pre-season, with that desire heightened when Barnsley's interest came to the fore, with Reds head coach Darrell Clarke quickly making the attacker his number one transfer target in the summer window.

Clough, who has previously had a spell in charge in Yorkshire at Sheffield United, added: “Davis was brilliant for us for 18 months.

“We can't carry anyone who doesn't want to be here. Every player has to be 100 per cent committed and Davis made it clear since the first day of pre-season that he wanted to leave.

"I don't want people around who don't want to be here and I don't think the supporters do or his team mates."