The Barnsley perspective on Blackpool's newest addition ahead of Oakwell return

Josh Earl has been tipped to be a solid part of Blackpool’s back three if he’s able to cut out some of the mistakes that cost him at Barnsley.

The defender made the move to Bloomfield Road for an undisclosed fee last week, penning a three-year deal, which includes a 12-month option, with the Seasiders.

Ian Evatt immediately named the 27-year-old in his starting XI for Saturday’s League One clash with Peterborough United - which ended in a 4-0 victory.

Earl is an experienced third tier player, having played 163 times at the level so far, including his two years at Oakwell - where he’ll be back as a visiting player on Wednesday evening.

The Barnsley Chronicle’s Doug O’Kane believes a fresh start was best for both the Reds and the centre back.

“He’s got his pros and cons like a lot of players,” he said.

“The positive thing about Josh is, he seems like a really good pro. He’s a good personality, and I’m sure he’s good to have in any dressing room. He seems like a nice, positive guy.

“He’s a really good height for a defender, and has a good left foot - which he uses well for passes and long balls.

“He’s quite an experienced player, and Barnsley didn’t have many, so he stood out in that regard.

“You have to say, it’s been a bit of a tricky time for him, he’s made quite a few mistakes over the years. He’s had some good games, but he’s made a few mistakes getting caught on the ball, poor passes or getting caught under long balls. That has been a feature of his time with Barnsley that we can’t really ignore.

“He’s sort of an opinion splitting player amongst the fanbase. It’s a move that hasn’t completely worked out and it’s probably for the best for both parties for him to move on.

“He’s been part of a team for the last couple of seasons that have defensively really struggled. They’ve only kept 10 clean sheets in the league across the last two seasons, and conceded a lot of goals - nearly a 100 in all competitions in those two. That’s not all down to Josh, but he was a regular.

“A lot of those players are now being moved on, and he’s a part of that. Once it has gone a bit wrong there’s that muscle memory, and a fresh start is probably the best thing for everyone.

“Hopefully in a different system, different manager, and a different club with more experienced players around him, it’ll be a different story for him.

“He probably suits a back three better, playing on that left side. I think he might admit himself there are mistakes he needs to cut out of his game; he can do it, it’s almost like a lack of concentration at times. If does that, he’ll be a very solid League One centre back.”

Earl isn’t the only ex-Barnsley player heading back to South Yorkshire this Wednesday.

Jordan Williams, who is on loan with Blackpool from Portsmouth, was at Oakwell between 2018 and 2024, and won promotion to the Championship during his time with the Reds.

“I hope he gets a good reception,” O’Kane said.

“Players who go back to their former clubs seem to get booed no matter what these days, even if they’ve been really good.

“I don’t know what reception he’ll get, hopefully it’ll be a decent one. He played more than 200 games for Barnsley, he joined when he was only 18 from Huddersfield under current manager Daniel Stendel in his first spell.

“He eventually got into the first-team and became captain in the end. The last season was quite difficult as he played on the right side of a back three, and in Barnsley’s case that didn’t really work - he was much better as a right back or right wing-back.

“I felt he lost a bit of confidence, but clearly he’s played a bit for Portsmouth and should be a very solid League One player.

“Like Josh Earl, he always seemed like a good pro and a nice bloke.”