2026-27 Recruitment Plan for Barnet

Player Decisions

Retain

Adam Senior, Bright Siaw, Danny Collinge, Idris Kanu, Jack Blower, Joe Wright, Joe Rye, Kabongo Tshimanga, Kane Smith, Nik Tavares, Owen Evans, Nnmadi Ofoborh, Patrick Matejko, Rohat Matyar, Romoney Crichlow

Release

Mark Shelton, Anthony Hartigan, Rhys Browne, Myles Kenlock, Dennis Adeniran, Emmanuel Osadebe, Oli Hawkins, Joe Kizzi

Sell

Ryan Glover

Lose

Callum Stead

Loan End

Ben Winterburn, Diallang Jaiyesimi, Phil Chinedu, Cieran Slicker, Jack Howland

Sign

Isaiah Noel-Williams, Craig Farquhar, Zac Williams, Brandon Comley, Charlie Lakin

Retained Squad

New Signings

Ciaran Slicker (Ipswich Town – loan)

The goalkeeping department has been the cause of many dilemmas in recent seasons for The Bees – both good and bad – and will no doubt be an important position to try and sort this summer. They need a #1 goalkeeper, and the player I would be looking at – that will need little in the way of an introduction to Bees fans – is Ipswich Town’s Ciaran Slicker. 

Slicker finished the campaign on loan at The Hive, and it is fair to say that his loan spell went as well as they could have hoped for. After the early season frustrations and uncertainty surrounding Owen Evans, Brennan had to go into the loan market to try and find the right #1 and Slicker proved to be a sensible addition and so I wouldn’t imagine that Brennan will want to stray too far from Slicker as the choice this term. 

The only reason as to why I have put Slicker down as a loan option as part of these selections is a) his wages, given he is on the books of Ipswich Town and b) the fact that Dean Brennan has a history for changing goalkeepers. If Brennan was firmly wedded to Slicker as the #1, I would be inclined for The Bees to perhaps push the boat out to land him on a permanent deal. However, given that he will look to move goalkeepers on after a mistake and the fact the outlay may be fairly hefty, I feel it makes more logical financial sense to re-sign Slicker on loan. 

Slicker remains contracted to Ipswich Town, and after their promotion to the top flight the chances of him being anywhere near first-team contention is even more slim than it was this year. As such, I do expect that the youngster will depart the club. I don’t feel that he would be too worried about rejoining The Bees on a loan deal as that still perhaps provides him some of the financial security of the deal he is on with The Tractorboys, and so if Dean Brennan is able to get this tied up then I think it would be a smart move for both parties.

Andy Yiadom (Reading – free)

The second player on this list that has been rumoured to sign for Barnet during the summer is Andy Yiadom. Let go by Reading at the end of the 2025-26 campaign, the 34-year-old is on the look out for what will likely be his last deal in the Football League. It remains to be seen whether or not he gets another opportunity in League One, yet if I was a betting man then I would say that dropping down into League Two is more likely. If so, The Bees could be an option.  

Throughout his career, Yiadom has been used as a right-back by trade, yet has also been used as a right winger due to his athleticism and running power. At the age of 34, I think that Andy Yiadom would be most effective as an out-and-out full-back. He is an experienced operator that is positionally strong, defensively good, has got good recovery pace and someone that has got a good appreciation for defending wide spaces. For parts of 2025-26, The Bees have used Adam Senior in a right-back role, whereas Yiadom is a traditional full-back and so provides them with more balance. 

One of the secondary advantages of signing a player like Andy Yiadom is that he has ‘been there, done it and got the T-Shirt’. At times this year, I feel that The Bees have perhaps been a little bit naive in their play, and have needed those players who have been in those high-pressure situations before. Yiadom is a model professional, has played seven seasons in the Championship, three in League One, has won promotion before, and so is exactly the type of character that Dean Brennan wants to be adding to the dressing room. 

Personally, if The Bees are to go and sign a quick and direct winger on that right-hand side I don’t feel that they need a full-back that is going to be that dynamic, ‘up and down’ type. Instead, I feel there is value at having a “stay at home” type that is going to defend strongly, provide them with a platform, and is going to hold their shape. Yiadom is at the stage of his career now where I believe that he is most effective as your traditional, defensive-first full-back and so is a good fit for what Barnet need. 

If the money is right, I think that Yiadom could be a good addition to the squad for The Bees. At his age, he might not be a regular starter, but in terms of providing them with an experienced option that can make 20-30 appearances across the campaign as a rotation pick by Brennan then I feel there is potentially good value there in the right-back. He has previously played at the club before, has been in successful Barnet sides, played higher and represents a reliable operator for the level. I am not always an advocate for re-signing players, but on this occasion I think it makes sense.

Max Clark (Gillingham – free)

One option that I would look at if I were Dean Brennan in providing them with competition at left-back is Max Clark. Released by Gillingham at the end of the campaign by Gareth Ainsworth, I feel that the 30-year-old could well represent an under the radar, yet sensible option for The Bees. On a free transfer, I would be a big advocate for Barnet bringing him to The Hive. 

Functionally, I feel Clark is a major upgrade on what The Bees had this season. For much of the campaign, Dean Brennan has been using makeshift options in that left-back berth and so if they are to improve in 2026-27 then I think first and foremost signing an out-and-out, traditional left-back is absolutely paramount. Rather than playing left-footed centre-backs in that role, I believe they’ve got to find an orthodox left-back to provide them with greater balance. 

When they have played centre-backs in that part of the pitch, they have – at times – sacrificed the attacking output that you would get from a traditional left-back, and when they have been defending behind the ball they have been particularly narrow. Clark is a full-back, and so he has got a) a stronger appreciation for defending as a full-back and b) in progressing the ball in wide areas. Clark is far more comfortable when playing in the channel, and so I think that would provide a major benefit to The Bees in transition. 

As a player, Clark is a forward-thinking full-back. A lovely cross on him. Good delivery from wide. A decent enough engine to get up and down in transition, and the energy to track runners from deep. He isn’t going to be your dribbly full-back that is going to beat two or three, but in terms of being a ‘steady eddy’ I feel he can provide real value. The Bees are a fairly adventurous side with the ball, and so I don’t feel that there should be too much responsibility on the full-backs in contributing to attacking play. 

One of the other advantages that I feel The Bees get with signing Max Clark is that extra experience of competing at the top end of League Two. At times, I think that they have been a little naive in the way that they have defended and in their decision-making, whereas Clark has ‘been there and done it’ in the sense of having won promotion from League Two, doing so at Stevenage. If they are to make that improvement required to push for promotion, I feel that adding a player of the profile of Clark could make a huge difference for their changing room and in managing games. 

The fact that he comes off the back of perhaps an underwhelming campaign with The Gills shouldn’t be a distraction from his suitability, and I would be confident that under a manager in Dean Brennan that has got a track record for getting the best out of players that he could be a success at The Hive. On a free transfer as an option in the squad, I feel that it would be a bit of a no-brainer.

Tyrese Francois (Wigan Athletic – free)

Midfielder Anthony Hartigan moved on at the end of the campaign, and that is going to be a big hole for Dean Brennan to fill. One player that I would look at to sign ahead of 2026-27 is Tyrese Francois. The youngster was let go by Wigan Athletic, and I feel that he could be a good option for The Bees to consider as a prospective signing during the off season. 

One thing that I particularly like about Francois is his quality on the ball. A lovely vertical passer that is progressive through the lines, always looking to get on the turn and play forward, and is press-resistant. 

Francois isn’t the biggest, but is predominantly a defensive midfielder. He is incredibly technical. Capable of receiving the ball at an angle, and suitably mobile to cover space and screen off passing lanes. He moves the ball quickly, has good close control, adept off either foot, and makes efficient use of possession in playing at speed with one or two touches. At times, I feel that The Bees’ ball progression wasn’t slick enough and they took too many touches, but Francois is a player that can play 

The midfielder is formerly of Fulham’s academy, and has spent the last two seasons with Wigan Athletic. He hasn’t featured regularly during the last two seasons with The Latics, and so I think that he has got to be a bit realistic as to where he is likely to pitch his next move. If he is honest, I think that he may well have to take one step backwards to take two forwards. 

The youngster would be dropping down into League Two, but he is now 25 years of age and if I was advising him then I would get him to go and find himself an opportunity where he is going to play regularly. For the sake of his own development, I think that he needs to be sensible in finding a new home where he is going to get a large volume of minutes. Signing for a top-end League Two side such as Barnet would afford him that luxury.

Aaron Nemane (MK Dons – free)

One area that The Bees will be looking to strengthen in the summer is the wide areas. Ryan Glover remains contracted to The Bees, yet is a player I expect will not be short of offers during the window to sign elsewhere for a fee. Meanwhile, Idris Kanu has done well in 2025-26, yet he too has had potential suitors rumoured. Regardless, I feel there is an opportunity for The Bees to add another quick, direct, dynamic wide player to bolster their attacking output. 

In terms of the type of player that Dean Brennan typically signs, I think that Nemane would be a really nice option. In my opinion, Brennan is one of the best lower leagues coaches when it comes to streamlining performance and simplifying a players’ game to improve their consistency and end product. You’ve only got to look at the improvement that Ryan Glover and Idris Kanu have undergone in the past 12-18 months to see the impact that he can have. As such, I feel that Aaron Nemane would thrive working under a manager like Brennan. 

Nemane has got all the attributes that you want from a wide player. He has got incredible acceleration and speed. A lovely ability to knock the ball past players and attack the space in behind. He has got such a low centre of gravity that he is able to wriggle past defenders and get on the wrong side of them pretty effectively. He is most effective playing on the last line, high and wide, isolating defenders and looking to make incisive runs direct-to-goal. 

As much as Aaron Nemane has been a good player for a number of years in both League Two and the National League, I think there is another level at which he can go to in his game. For Nemane, I feel it is about finding consistency in that final action. Slowing himself down in the final moment. Better decision-making. He has got the agility and speed such that he always creates himself a high volume of opportunities in which he has the time and space to pick out a pass, and if he can find that extra bit of consistency then I think he has got all the ability to be one of the top wide players for the division. I feel he is the type of project that Brennan would relish working with. 

In terms of his profile, Nemane is a diminutive customer. Quick. Athletic. A willing runner. Great recovery speed. A player who carries the ball really effectively. An incredible engine to always be on the move, and provide energy throughout the ninety. Particularly in short, sharp, incisive bursts where he can change the pace of a game. 

Being able to snag Nemane given his wages at MK Dons could well represent an issue, but in terms of giving The Bees that player in the final third that wants to commit players and can get them running back towards their own goal I think Nemane gives them a profile that they didn’t really have in 2025-26. If they can get him, I feel that he has got the ability to be a game-changer in terms of their final third output.

Dialling Jaiyesimi (Leyton Orient – free)

One player on this list that won’t need any introduction to Barnet fans is Diallang Jaiyesimi. He finished the 2025-26 campaign on loan with The Bees, and even in spite of the fact that he didn’t rip up any trees in Barnet colours it wouldn’t surprise me if he starts 2026-27 with them either. 

One of the attractions that – I feel – there is to re-signing Jaiyesimi is to provide Dean Brennan with something in the way of continuity at the top end of the pitch. If – as expected – they are going to lose Ryan Glover and Callum Stead, I don’t feel that Dean Brennan will be wanting to willingly change all too much in the attacking third. The Bees are a good side offensively anyway, and Jaiyesimi – while not prominent – has been a part of a Barnet attack that has been hugely effective. 

Jaiyesimi is a quick and direct attacking player that is a strong dribbler, looks to commit players and play on the last line of the opposition in attacking space. He is capable of playing anywhere across the front, and represents a ‘tried and tested’ option for The Bees given that he has got extensive experience playing in the Football League. The Bees want to put together a squad that is capable of going all the way and winning promotion from League Two in 2026-27, and so Jaiyesimi – a previous title winner with Swindon Town in the 2019-20 campaign – provides them with a ‘tick in the box’.

I was fully expecting that Leyton Orient will shuffle the pack again this summer given that they have had a hugely underwhelming 2025-26, and so it is perhaps not a surprise that Jaiyesimi is one player that has been let go by Richie Wellens. I am unsure as to whether or not he will get a deal in League One or have to drop down into League Two, but if I was advising them then I would say to go and play his football in League Two and get 40+ games under his belt. As such, I feel that he could well represent an experienced option for The Bees to sign on a permanent deal.

Reece Smith (Harrogate Town – fee)

The expectation going into the summer was that Ryan Glover would depart, and that has duly happened with the winger signing for Stockport County. How do you replace Ryan Glover? With difficulty is the answer. However, I have picked out an option that I think ticks the boxes; Harrogate Town’s Reece Smith. Ryan Glover V2.0? 

When I compare the two, I see a lot of similarities between Reece Smith 2025-26 and Ryan Glover at Aldershot Town prior to joining The Bees. Technical ability? 100%. Physically? Strong. The energetic carries. Flashes of brilliance, and an ability to play off the cuff. The ability to go either way. A little bit raw and unpolished in their output. Speed. Quick feet. Dean Brennan has coached Ryan Glover into being arguably the best winger in the league, and I could see Brennan having Smith as the next ‘project’ at The Hive. 

Stylistically, he is very similar to Glover in that he plays off the left-hand side. Looking to carry the ball to goal. A very all-action style. The ability to change a game, but  – in the same way Glover used to be – inconsistent in that final action. Lots of ‘good’, but not ruthless enough. 

In terms of his profile, I feel that there is a lot to like with the Harrogate Town youngster. He is an efficient dribbler and ball-carrier, with good close control and strong technique. He is a player that thrives playing the left half-spaces in which he can step into the middle of the park, onto the play and get shots off. He is a bit unpolished in that final action, but 

There will be a lot of interest in his services as technically he is a very talented player and the type that – under the right coach – I think can really explode at the level. If I was advising Smith, I would be pitching Barnet as the perfect destination for him to go next if he is going to take his career from being an ‘on his day’ player to one that has the consistency and end product to finish higher. 

He is still contracted to Harrogate Town, and so if he was to move then he will require a fee, but I think that he would represent a clever investment for The Bees. The Bees don’t often spend money in signing players, but if they are to push towards the upper echelons of League Two then they may well have to be that little bit more overly ambitious in their approach to the market in signing players that have good long-term value. If they can agree on the right fee, I think that he would be a superb capture.

Tyreece Simpson (Stevenage – free)

The Bees started the campaign with Lee Ndlovu on the books, albeit he departed during January to join Notts County. While it would definitely be a ‘coup’ if they could sign him, one option that I would be looking at if I were Dean Brennan is Tyreece Simpson. 

One of Barnet’s real strengths is in the quality of their intricacy in and around the box in breaking teams with clever movement, passing at speed and a dynamism that commits teams to having to defend space. However, if The Bees are to go and make that next step then having that traditional #9 at their disposal is going to be key. They’ve got Oli Hawkins – who I feel has done a decent job when called upon – but finding that platform to play alongside Kabongo Tshimanga may well be useful. 

Long-term, I do envisage that we may well see The Bees go back towards – or at least in parts – back to the system that they utilised in the National League. If they don’t, I do expect Brennan to try and get two #9’s into the group. Tshimanga plus one other. A ‘little and large’. More of a physical reference to play alongside the sharper, nippier, more agile poacher in Kabongo Tshimanga. 

As a player, Simpson is the perfect profile for this role. He is a physically imposing, powerful, combative #9 that is hugely aggressive against the ball, good with his back to goal and the type of forward that creates opportunities for his team mates in occupying defenders and linking the play. Despite his size, Simpson has got a nice turn of speed and is mobile across the top end of the pitch to play on the shoulder and in making clever runs beyond the play, and so has got the complete skillset to provide an outlet both in transition in attacking space and in holding the ball up against a low block. 

Simpson was let go by Stevenage at the end of the 2026-26 campaign, and it will be interesting to see what level that the striker pitches his next move. If I am advising Simpson, I would be personally looking to sign for a team in League Two, going and playing 40+ times and getting back to regular minutes after a spell out with injury. Personally, I feel that signing for Barnet and being part of a side that wants to be competitive at the top end of League Two represents a good level at which to pitch his next move. He has been promoted from the division before, and further contributes to strengthening the core of previous winners from League Two. 

He won’t be short of offers, but I think that he could be a bit of a game-changer. Kabongo Tshimanga is a proven goal-scorer, and I feel that you get the best version out of him when he is able to play alongside a physical target man and so Simpson is a good stylistic fit. If The Bees want to go and make a statement signing, I think that Simpson very much fits the bill for Brennan.

Baylee Dipepa (Southampton – loan)

The final player on this list that I think Barnet should look at signing during the summer is Baylee Dipepa. The youngster is on the books at Southampton, and has played in the EFL before with Port Vale. The 19-year-old needs to go and play first-team games in 2026-27, and so I feel that he may well be worth consideration by Dean Brennan as a prospective signing. 

We saw at the end of the 2025-26 campaign that The Bees looked a more threatening outfit when they had that more agile, on-the-shoulder, willing runner that can stretch teams, with Kabongo Tshimanga looking to make those movements in beyond the play. I feel that they could benefit from adding another player of that type of profile that wants to run direct to goal and play in behind, and so I think that youngster Dipepa is a good stylistic fit for this. 

One of the advantages that I feel The Bees have in signing a player like Dipepa is his speed and athleticism in transition. Barnet found it tricky at times last season to break down teams that employ a low-block, and so having a player of Dipepa’s physical attributes and willingness to run would allow them to vary their approach and allow teams to step onto them. I think that the real value in Dipepa’s game and where he can be a threat is in allowing teams to press you, push you back towards your own goal and having the confidence to play out and go long where you can then isolate a forward 1-vs-1 in a foot race. 

Dipepa is a superb athlete, a strong and powerful runner, and somebody that is quite selfless in his work for the team. He thrives on space. Clever movement off the shoulder. He is the type of player whose runs open up space for the #10’s to work that yard of space in and around the edge of the box. When you can get Dipepa playing high on the last line of the opposition and spinning into the channels, it creates space between the lines for the attacking midfielders to work shooting opportunities. 

He has experience of playing in the Football League previously with Port Vale, and I was impressed by the youngsters performances for The Valiants. He has got incredible energy to press from the front, force mistakes and is always on the move with the mobility to make himself an option on the angle. Despite his speed, he is a good size, capable in the air and physically strong. The Bees lacked a profile of Dipepa’s type in 2025-26, and so I feel that adding the youngster on loan would be a useful one for Dean Brennan’s side.