If you're a Barnsley fan, your Christmas was probably pretty sweet knowing that the Tykes are currently outperforming all expectations.

Despite an early-season managerial change, which saw Gerhard Struber depart for the Big Apple, Barnsley's momentum has continued under new boss Valerien Ismael and they currently sit 13th in the Championship.

Their side is filled with hungry 20-something players that have worked very hard for Valerien, and eight wins in his 13 matches in charge suggests that he is doing something right at Oakwell.

As ever though, with Barnsley one of the lower payers of wages in the division, good performances will bring glancing admirers from bigger clubs, and the likes of Callum Styles will certainly command interest.

There are other players that will simply be looking to move on to get first-team football elsewhere. Here, we look at two players that may be eyeing an exit from the South Yorkshire side in January.

Alex Mowatt

Barnsley's skipper is a key figure in central midfield and has recently partnered with the experienced Matty James to form a very talented duo.

But a big issue for the club is that Mowatt is out of contract at the end of the season, and as of now there seems to be no sign of him penning a new deal.

The 25-year-old is a hot commodity for his passing range and his long shots, and he would be a really good capture for a lot of top-end Championship sides.

Barnsley CEO Dane Murphy said a month ago he was confident on Mowatt penning a new deal, but the longer the wait goes for confirmation of that, the more likely it is that he departs either in January or the summer.

Mike Bahre

Bahre was a regular starter in the Tykes' 2018/19 League One promotion-winning season, but towards the end of the 2019/20 campaign he seemed to have fallen out of favour.

He's currently out with a groin injury, but the German wasn't used by Struber before his departure for New York Red Bulls and the then-manager confirmed that he didn't have a future at Oakwell.

Whether that has changed with Ismael's arrival remains to be seen, but with the strength of Mowatt and James as a partnership, plus Herbie Kane as a deputy, there may not be room at the inn for Bahre and he probably needs a new challenge.