‘It is bound to affect them’ – Barnsley boss on Aston Villa-linked pair

Barnsley boss Paul Heckingbottom admitted speculation over the future of captain Conor Hourihane and right-back James Bree had affected the in-demand pair.

Hourihane has been linked with Championship rivals Aston Villa, Norwich and Sheffield Wednesday, while highly-rated 19-year-old Bree is also said to be interesting Villa, as well as Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal.

Both played against Fulham in their 2-0 defeat, suggesting no deals were close, but Heckingbottom conceded their heads were being turned – and admitted he would be powerless to stop them leaving Oakwell.

“They’re good lads but it [the speculation] is bound to affect them,” Heckingbottom said.

“They’ve played themselves into this situation with good performances, but they have to keep performing if they want to get their moves.

“From my point of view, they’re not for sale. But football’s a business. My opinions are listened to, which is how it should be, but it’s not my football club, I don’t own it.

“If a club comes and puts the best possible offer down there’s a decision to make – do you take the money now or do they leave in the summer on a free?”

Heckingbottom was aggrieved by two penalty decisions in the defeat at Craven Cottage – one given to Fulham in first-half injury time, the other not given to his side after the break – but admitted his side did not deserve anything from the game.

He said: “The [Chris Martin] penalty’s a killer because you don’t want to go behind against Fulham. I watched it back – there’s a hand there but it’s soft.

“I’ve not seen our one back but everyone’s saying that’s more of a penalty than the first one.

“But I think we were second best, looking back at the whole game.”