It has been a slow summer at Oxford United but things finally started kicking into gear in the last week with new signings, a new kit, and a new executive chairman.
The latest player to join the ranks is defender Michael Raynes after leaving Rotherham. He is a very promising centre-back with over 200 appearances under his belt at just 24 and has had rave reviews wherever he’s gone. Chris Wilder has seemingly brought him in as a long-term replacement for Michael Duberry who only has one year left on his current contract.
Another player to come in this summer is youngster Jake Forster-Caskey who joins us on loan from Brighton. He is a talented midfielder who has turned down a move to a League One club to come to United. It is nice to hear that players are turning down the chance to play at a higher level to come to the Kassam Stadium and shows how much progress the club is making.
Oxford United has come a long way since relegation to the Conference and one man who has changed the fortunes more than most is Kelvin Thomas, who has decided to step down this week. Ian Lenegan has taken over as executive chairman and has some promising ideas for the future, which includes improving fitness and performance. Hopefully this means we shouldn’t have as much of an injury crisis as last year with these improvements.
This weekend saw the ever-popular open day return, with the new kits being launched. For the first time in decades United are going to be playing their home games in all yellow, with the away kit in light blue and modeled on Manchester United’s home kit from 2009, with a white v shape across the chest. The home kit will be showcased for the first time on Tuesday night against the Premier League new boys West Ham United.
The fixture list has been relatively unkind to us at the start with a tough opening game to the League Two season. The curtain raiser sees United travel down to the Memorial Ground to take on Bristol Rovers, with one player certain to be a talking point. It has been no secret that Rovers have been keen admirers of James Constable with two bids already turned down by the U’s. However Constable looks set to be an integral part of United once again and will be looking to show Bristol what they’re missing out on.
Another player who is finally set to stay at United is Adam Chapman, who signed a new two-year deal at the club after rejecting previous offers. It had been really disappointing to see that even after we stuck by him while he was imprisoned, but hopefully that is the end of it now and everyone can move on from this and concentrate on the football.
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