Swansea City youngster Bobby Wales has pipped the interest of top-half League One sides. Barnsley, Lincoln City, and now Stockport County have expressed interest in the youngster. Bobby Wales’ season at Swansea hasn’t taken off so far. Minutes have been hard to come by and has had no real rhythm to his campaign.
He’s shown flashes of potential, but he’s struggled to build on the momentum he created during his impressive loan spell at Alloa.
This isn’t the first time Barnsley and Lincoln have shown interest in Wales. At the time, Bobby Wales had just signed from Kilmarnock that summer. He’d not seen much action, playing one cup game.
During his spell at Kilmarnock, Wales made 38 senior appearances, totalling just over 1,300 minutes, and while he scored only 2 goals, the deeper data painted a far more promising picture.
His xG per 90 sat around 0.25, which is strong for a teenager playing limited minutes, and he averaged 4.8 touches in the opposition box per 90, showing he consistently arrived in dangerous areas – something clubs like Barnsley have lacked this season.
He also generated 2.1 shots per 90, most of them from high‑value central positions, and ranked well above average for forwards his age in pressures per 90, regularly hitting the mid‑20s.
Barnsley – Conor Hourihane has been open about wanting far more pace at the top end of the pitch, and Wales fits that profile in a really natural way. He’s constantly looking to run beyond defenders, he attacks space early, and he forces centre‑backs to turn and chase rather than hold a high line.
That ability to stretch the game is something Barnsley have lacked, especially when sides sit compact and force them to play in front.
Wales gives you those repeated sprints into the channels, the willingness to press aggressively from the front, and the kind of movement that creates room for midfielders to step in behind him.
Lincoln – Wales could make a real difference to an ageing Lincoln side because he brings the one thing their forward line increasingly lacks: energy.
The Imps have experience and physical presence up top, but they don’t have many players who can repeatedly run in behind, press with intensity, or stretch games for long spells. Wales would instantly change that dynamic.
Speaking to Lower Tiers Editor Rob Beezley, he says that – “Lincoln City’s manager Michael Skubala admitted in his press conference on X that the club aren’t finished in the January 2026 window. Bobby Wales is the latest rumour and after the success of Liam Cullen, could the forward be the latest to join?
Beezley added, “[Working] With Reeco Hackett, Ben House, Rob Street and Freddie Draper, Wales would have his work cut out but we do need backups”
Stockport – County is the newest link to the rumour mill. It feels pretty logical, they’ve got a smart, experienced squad but not a lot of raw pace up top. Wales would give them something different. Energy, someone who’ll run in behind and stretch teams in a way their current forwards don’t naturally do.
