Barnsley are looking to raid Gerhard Struber’s former club, Wolfsberger AC, for centre-back Michael Sollbauer, according to Sky Sports (live broadcast, 22/01/2020).

The Tykes have already raided Struber’s old club this month with the signing of 26-year-old midfielder Marcel Ritzmaier along with fellow countryman Kilian Ludewig from Red Bull Salzburg.

The January transfer window gives Struber his first chance to strengthen a side inherited from former Barnsley boss Daniel Stendel, which certainly needs some improvement if they are looking to stave off relegation to League One this season.

Sky Sports are now reporting that Barnsley have set their sights on Wolfsberger AC centre-back Michael Sollbauer to bolster their youthful defence (as revealed in the Sky Sports Transfer Talk segment). It is clear that Barnsley have suffered from a glaring lack of experience at the back and the 29-year-old Wolfsberger captain would come in to remedy that.

Centre-back partnership Mads Andersen and Aapo Halme were cut open by Preston North End’s attack last night and that has clearly alarmed Struber that they need reinforcements to avoid immediate relegation back to League One this season and add some much-needed experience to the back four.

Here, we take a look at one winner and one loser at Barnsley if they seal the deal for Sollbauer…

Winner: Mads Andersen

The 22-year-old has struggled in his first season at Oakwell, with the defeat to Preston on Tuesday night highlighting his struggles in a Barnsley shirt. Playing as a very inexperienced centre-back, he hasn’t been helped by the fact that the team around him is also vastly inexperienced.

Barnsley have the youngest average age of any side in the Championship and it has shown in the mistakes they make on a regular basis.

If Sollbauer were to come in, he would add leadership to the back four along with organisation and could be a strong mentor for Andersen who would be the most likely player to play alongside him, with Halme pushing into holding midfield.

Andersen has shown glimpses of potential throughout the season and this could be harnessed with a more refined and accomplished centre-back next to him, guiding him through games.

Loser: Kenny Dougall

While Sollbauer comes in as a centre-back, this won’t directly affect Kenny Dougall’s place in the first-team, but it will push Aapo Halme into midfield where he has been much better in recent months under Struber.

With Halme coming into holding midfield, this would mean that Dougall is the man to step out of the starting lineup for him, especially given the poor defensive performance of the midfield against Preston last time out.

Dougall recently returned from injury and stepped back into the side, but his form hasn’t suggested he is nailing down that spot any time soon, especially with new recruitments coming in.

Sollbauer has played under Struber before so he should be able to take to the system like a duck to water, which the same cannot be said about some others at the club.