Oxford United can reap further benefits of Gary Rowett’s Millwall FC connections | OneFootball

Gary Rowett is using his connections from former clubs to make Oxford United a more Experiences side

Oxford United confirmed the signing of Tom Bradshaw on Thursday, making him the second signing of the January window.

Bradshaw signed a permanent deal with Oxford from fellow Championship side Millwall, where the striker has been since 2018.

The Welsh international is playing his ninth season of Championship football, four of those were under Gary Rowett, now manager of Oxford United.

It is no secret that Rowett's links with Millwall, and Bradshaw in particular, were a big factor in the striker joining the club. Bradshaw played his best football under Rowett, and U's fans will be hoping they can strike up another fruitful partnership.

Gary Rowett's Championship contacts

One of the key details that Oxford wanted from the manager who replaced Des Buckingham was someone with Championship experience. They wanted someone who knew the division inside out. With that, comes a catalogue of players who would've worked under this manager across several clubs.

Rowett fits that mold perfectly, and his time at the likes of Millwall would've been a factor in bringing him to the club. Oxford are inexperienced at this level, both as a club and as a football team. Will Vaulks is the only fit member of the team with more than 100 appearances in the division to his name.

United are now in a position where they have a real possibility of staying up, but they are going to need a bit of help doing that. This is where the likes of Bradshaw come in.

Rowett knows how he wants his teams to play and Bradshaw won't need to take any time to get up to speed with this. In fact, he will be able to help convey the manager's message to his teammates.

As we move into the second half of the season, having older players in the squad who know what it takes to survive in the Championship will be important. Rowett will be able to rely on them to pass on his message and give advice to those who are less experienced.

Gary Rowett doesn't want to change the model of the club

Over the last 10-15 years, United have prided themselves on two things. First is the style of play. Yellows fans have not been willing to pay money to watch an unattractive style of football week in, week out. In fact, fans grew restless with Chris Wilder for this very thing, despite doing fantastically well with the side on a very low budget.

Suggesting this will happen under Rowett is unfair, and we've already seen that not to be the case. The U's have played a more rigid and protective formation under the former Millwall boss, and there have been more long balls being played but the style of play hasn't been uneasy on the eye. And it's been getting results.

The second thing the club take pride in is signing promising young players with a really bright future. This can either be to become key players in the squad for years to come or to sell on for a profit.

In recent years, United have signed the likes of Kemar Roofe, Joe Rothwell, Ryan Ledson, Rob Dickie, Rob Atkinson, Luke McNally, Mark Sykes and James Beadle, who have all gone on to play for bigger and better clubs than Oxford United. Not to mention Cameron Brannagan, who was signed at the age of 21.

Under Rowett, we can expect to see the average age of players coming through the door rise slightly, especially while Oxford are in the mindset of just staying up. This is something Rowett is very mindful of.

Speaking to BBC Radio Oxford after their 1-1 draw with Plymouth Argyle, he said: "We don't want to go too far away from where we see the club's model, which is a really good opportunity for young players to come in, develop and improve and create assets. But we also want to be really competitive in this division, and sometimes you might need to compromise on those ideals for players who are Championship ready".

Talking about the players already in the squad, Rowett said: "We haven't got that many players within the squad who have played lots of Championship football. I believe they're all capable of doing it, but it's nice to add one or two more bodies where you know what they can do".

Gary Rowett capitalising on Millwall links to bring in more experience

Oxford look set to sign Ryan Longman from Hull City. Longman is a winger who is in his sixth season of Championship football.

The forward was signed by Rowett on loan while at Millwall and though their time there together was relatively short, it seems the U's boss is making the most of their relationship.

Football League World were first to report Oxford's interest in Longman while a deal is now said to be close.

Longman is an experienced Championship player, just like Bradshaw, and has featured under Rowett in the past.

Bradshaw and Longman will already be comfortable with each other having played together for a season, another important factor to consider. At this point in the season, bringing in players that are ready to go and need no catching up is a huge deal.

Rowett's quotes after their 1-1 draw with Plymouth, combined with the actions they're taking in the January window, show a clear sign of what's to come. The manager doesn't want to exclusively sign players with years of Championship experience, but for the time being, United need to get some bodies in the building who know what it takes to survive in this league.

Whether that means being a little bit smarter at the back end of games, being a little bit nastier when it's required, or simply just demanding a higher standard from teammates. This is a sign of what's to come for Oxford fans, and it's not a bad thing at all.