While a large chunk of the EFL are battling for Louie Barry’s signature, Stockport County’s winter task is different, filling the hole left by his departure.
Barry’s second loan spell at Edgeley Park saw him establish himself as one of League One’s greatest performers, scoring 16 goals in 24 games for County, although his performances were not overlooked by parent club Aston Villa or Championship rivals.
| Louie Barry at Stockport County (Transfermarkt) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Appearances | Goals | Assists | |
| 2023/24 | 22 | 9 | 4 | |
| 2024/25 | 24 | 16 | 3 | |
The 21-year-old was recalled at the beginning of January, and while Hatters fans will be looking to see where the much-loved former loanee goes next, their primary concern will undoubtedly be how to fill the vacuum.
Replacing his goals will be critical for Dave Challinor’s side as they seek to maintain their League One promotion push, but Stockport cannot just recruit a player of his caliber in the January transfer window, as their manager understands all too well.
| League One play-off race | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Played | Points | Goal difference |
| 5. Barnsley | 25 | 42 | +6 |
| 6. Reading | 24 | 41 | +6 |
| 7. Stockport County | 25 | 38 | +10 |
| 8. Leyton Orient | 24 | 37 | +10 |
| 9. Mansfield Town | 23 | 37 | +5 |
| 10. Bolton Wanderers | 24 | 37 | -1 |
Speaking after Sunday’s FA Cup defeat to Crystal Palace, where a finisher of Barry’s caliber may have made the difference, Challinor explained how County will attempt to replace the attacker after Villa returned him.
With more than half of the transfer market still open, new arrivals will be vital, as will tactical flexibility and getting the most out of the players who are already at the club.
A rejuvenated Tanto Olaofe could make a difference
Tanto Olaofe will be a key figure for Challinor in Barry’s absence. The two are different types of attackers, but as last season demonstrated, Olaofe is a player capable of scoring on a regular basis, and while the 2024/25 season has been difficult for him, his performance against Palace indicated that he is on his way back to form.
The 25-year-old scored 20 goals to help the Hatters win promotion last season and was looking to continue that trend in League One until suffering a pre-season injury. It took him some time to get back up to speed, and his goal total this season, six in 28 appearances, underlines that, but he was the visitors’ finest player at Selhurst Park.
He was a persistent bother for the Eagles’ backline, causing issues for England international Marc Guehi and playing a key role in Stockport’s best two opportunities of the afternoon.
Shortly after Ebere Eze’s goal, the striker intercepted an aerial crossfield ball, beat his defender, and sent a probing cross to the back post, which Kyle Wootton was unable to convert. Early in the second half, he caused an error from the Palace defence, robbing Chris Richards inside the box and being denied by a superb Matt Turner stop.
Those were the highlights, but Olaofe made dangerous runs throughout the game, took on and beat Premier League defenders, and was the League One side’s main threat.
Getting him confident and scoring on a regular basis might make all the difference as Stockport chases the play-offs, as well as filling the vacuum left by Barry’s recall. That reality is not lost on Challinor.
“He has to be (a difference-maker in the second half of the season),” remarked County’s manager at Selhurst Park. “Tanto had a really challenging first half of the season. He went abroad for pre-season to hit the ground running after scoring 20 goals last year, but he suffered an injury that kept him out for eight weeks. He has been playing catch-up ever since.
“At that time, Louie Barry came in and scored a lot of goals.” Louie has definitely returned, and we need to get Tanto up to speed. He missed a few games over Christmas due to a little hamstring injury, but despite us not playing particularly well today, and we would have liked to have opened up and played more expansively, Tanto demonstrated the threats he poses against, to be clear, an England international who is a terrific defender.
“Just by his willingness to run, be aggressive, and be a nuisance, he got into really good positions and had opportunities to score. We simply need to keep him going and start getting him goals because he will have a significant effect in the second part of the season.”
New signings and tactical flexibility
Olaofe is a dangerous player, but no one expects him to just replace Barry’s productivity. Above all, they are distinct players with unique skills.
Getting the 25-year-old back to his best would be big for Stockport, but they will also look for alternative ways to replace the Villa front. One of these is to sign more forward firepower.
After Palace, Challinor stated, “Will we try to bring bodies in at the top end of the pitch?” “Yes, absolutely.”
It is unclear who that will be. The Hatters are expected to be one of several League One teams keeping a careful eye on Nathan Lowe’s position at Stoke City. The 19-year-old had scored 18 goals and given seven assists on loan at Walsall in the first half of the season before being called up by the Potters, whose plans for him remain unknown at this time.
They will have a set of targets to work through in order to provide Challinor with the tools he needs to mount another promotion challenge in the remaining months of the 2024/25 campaign. The coach has several weapons, including Kyle Wootton, Benoný Breki Andrésson, Jack Diamond, and Olaofe. He plans to adopt a more pragmatic approach in the second half of the season, emphasizing tactical flexibility to maximize the performance of his forwards.
He explained: “Last year, we were 3-5-2 with two centre-forwards, Tanto being one of them, so we can adjust our system a little bit if necessary.
“I’m open to everything. We want to be able to play in a variety of ways. We chose to play more direct today (Sunday) since Crystal Palace’s strength is pressing, and they have real legs at the top of the pitch.
“I’m not going to publicly state that we’re going to divide and play and try to get through Crystal Palace. We want to play in their half of the pitch, and Tanto and Wootton posed a threat there. We want to try to play a little more, but Tanto’s proclivity to fall behind at any level will pose issues.
“You’ve seen Crystal Palace’s attacking talent. Look to penetrate, they look to cause difficulties, and he is our version of that.
Filling Barry’s void will be difficult; players of that caliber are rarely seen at League One level, but County and Challinor clearly believe that bringing in quality reinforcements, getting Olaofe back to his best, and remaining tactically flexible will be their best chance.
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