Any slim hopes that Barnsley fans had of the return of Marlon Harewood have now gone as the striker moves to Chinese club Shenzhen Phoenix.

Although Harewood openly admitted he would have liked to sign for the Reds on a permanent deal following his loan spell, the change of manager at Oakwell always meant that the experienced striker was unlikely to be a target.  After the club suggested that costs would need to come down in terms of player salaries, it’s unlikely that Harewood’s wage demands would have been met if negotiations were to take place.

Harewood is said to have turned down offers from a number of English clubs in favour of a move to China.  Shenzhen Phoenix play in the second tier of the Chinese league following relegation from the Super League last season but do have a wealthy owner and are looking to bounce back to the top-flight.

Another player who impressed on loan last season, Paul McShane, is said to be a target for Reading who are looking to fill a void left by the departure of Matthew Mills.  While McShane has never been a favourite with the fans of any of his previous clubs, he made no notable mistakes in a Barnsley shirt and actually showed what a good defender he is.

McShane hasn’t been in Hull manager Nigel Pearson’s plans for quite some time now and the club seem happy for him to move on for free.  Barnsley manager Keith Hill will no doubt have heard cries from fans to sign the Irish international, but as with Harewood, McShane was a Mark Robins target whose salary is perhaps in a region that the club are no longer prepared to sanction.

Related articles

• Hassell: “We need to strengthen up-front” (barnsleyfc.com)
• Harewood makes Chinese move (skysports.com)
• No interest in Harewood from Middle East outfit (tribalfootball.com)
• The Future for Harewood and McShane (barnsleyfc.com)