Romeny joins Fortuna Sittard on loan from Oxfordpublished at 14:04 BST
14:04 BST
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Oxford United striker Ole Romeny has joined Dutch side Fortuna Sittard on a season-long loan with an option to buy.
The 26-year-old Indonesia international arrived at Oxford in January 2025 from FC Utrecht.
He made 32 appearances, scoring once, but was unable to help Oxford avoid relegation to League One.
Born in the Netherlands, Romeny began his career with NEC Nijmegen before spells with Willem II and Emmen.
He becomes the second player to leave Oxford - following Nik Prelec's departure on Friday - since the club announced it was operating under an EFL transfer embargo this summer.
'I genuinely fear for our future'published at 14:20 BST 10 July
14:20 BST 10 July
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Oxford United supporters are coming to terms with their club being placed under a transfer embargo by the English Football League.
They will not be able to register new players in the current window because they are not compliant with the EFL's salary cost management protocol (SCMP) regulations.
How have U's fans reacted to the news, and how damaging do they think this could be to their hopes of challenging for promotion from League One?
We asked for supporters to send us their views, and here is a selection of what they had to say:
Shane: Frustrating. This isn't the first time we've seen administrative or financial discrepancies behind the scenes in recent years. The bulk of the squad is very good, but we are a bit short in certain areas. I wonder if the job looks quite so appealing for Aaron Ramsey now?
Mark: We have a good first-team squad and enough depth to successfully ride this out. It won't be pretty but we don't need to be pretty; we just need to accept it and trust Ramsey to get the best out of the players.
Rob: It seems we may have been caught by the high additional costs of the proposed new stadium on top of the costs of trying to stay in the Championship. A few of the players may leave for Championship clubs, meaning we could be short. Lower mid-table could be the height of our ambitions. I'm somewhat concerned.
Rowan: To be honest, this is a major setback. I was looking forward to the new season. I bet Aaron Ramsey is annoyed; hopefully not many players leave in the window.
Alan: Our management of our unexpected promotion two years ago has been terrible. So many silly and expensive mistakes, culminating with massively overspending to stay in the Championship last season. I've lost all confidence in both our owner and our board. I genuinely fear for our future.
Freddie: This is a bit out of the blue. I thought we didn't have players on that much pay.
Colin: After being relegated from the Championship last season, they sacked the manager before even the new season starts. Then this embargo - what on earth was the board doing? I feel sorry for the players, but I cannot see Oxford United getting promoted back to the Championship; but could end up on the wrong end of League One. The board should be held responsible for what has happened.
'More questions than answers'published at 19:04 BST 9 July
19:04 BST 9 July
Jerome Sale BBC Radio Oxford's Oxford United commentator
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Let's be clear: the transfer embargo announced earlier on Thursday is not good news.
We're used to seeing heat warnings at this time of year, but for supporters who read this and worry about the club's future, this should come with an amber alert attached.
Taken at face value, you can argue the current squad is strong enough to be competitive this season.
The greater concern is the longer-term reputational damage, which could affect confidence in the club as a whole.
There are mitigating factors - a club that has just been relegated, at the same time new regulations have come into force, was always likely to find the compliance process more challenging.
However, this is also a consequence of spending having increased significantly across the club in recent years.
Requiring owners to provide a substantial portion of next year's funding in advance is a significant demand - however, United's Indonesian backers have consistently been portrayed as both wealthy and willing to invest.
The guidance I've received is that the situation is expected to be resolved over the coming months - even so, United knew these regulations were coming, and many inside and outside the club had been led to believe everything would already be in place.
The fact that it isn't sets football spidey-senses tingling.
What must rookie head coach Aaron Ramsey make of this, barely a fortnight into his tenure? I'm told it's business as usual.
The lights are on, staff were paid on time last week, and the players will head to their training camp in Spain this weekend.
But doubts and concerns will inevitably linger in the minds of players and supporters alike, and those concerns now need to be addressed.
Communication from the club has been limited throughout the summer, but we've repeatedly been encouraged to believe Oxford intended to retain their key players despite relegation.
Only a few days ago we were told there would be no fire sale - today's statement reinforces that position, but rival clubs will inevitably test their resolve.
Will significant bids weaken their stance? A small number of players also have relegation release clauses that could still be activated.
Which brings us to the obvious question: why? What has changed? At the moment, there are more questions than answers.
To lift this temporary registration embargo, United effectively need to lodge a bond covering next season's projected spending. For most of us, the millions required would be an extraordinary sum.
For owners widely regarded as extremely wealthy, and who are also considering a £160million stadium project, you would expect that money to be available.
Dusan Bogdanovic's arrival as chairman has never been fully explained. Two months into the role, he has yet to give an interview, and that inevitably raises questions.
It makes me wonder whether there are once again shifting sands within the ownership group, and whether there is an internal debate over who should ultimately foot the bill.
It's important to remember Oxford have fallen foul of regulations designed to prevent existential financial crises.
This is not a case of winding-up petitions from HMRC, unpaid staff, or football creditors going unpaid - those would be red-alert scenarios.
Even so, this makes for deeply uncomfortable reading, and any concerns supporters have about the season ahead - both on and off the pitch - are entirely understandable.
How damaging is Oxford's transfer embargo?published at 17:27 BST 9 July
17:27 BST 9 July
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Oxford United's plans for the new League One season have suffered a major setback with the club being placed under a transfer embargo by the English Football League.
The U's, who were relegated from the Championship at the end of last season, will not be able to register new players in the current window because they are not compliant with the EFL's salary cost management protocol (SCMP) regulations.
How much damage will this do to Oxford's hopes of an immediate return to the Championship? How much of a surprise is this news to supporters?
Bloomfield 'disappointed' by Oxford sackingpublished at 11:29 BST 3 July
11:29 BST 3 July
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Former Oxford United boss Matt Bloomfield has expressed his disappointment after being dismissed and replaced with former Arsenal and Wales midfielder Aaron Ramsey.
The U's suffered relegation to League One last season but had shown progress under Bloomfield prior to his sacking in June, increasing their points per game from 0.88 to 1.19.
The club had also tripled the amount of clean sheets from two to six under the 42-year-old's tenure.
"Despite being unable to make up the points deficit we inherited, I'm proud of the players, coaching staff and tireless work we put in to turn the season around – the players gave everything, and I believe that if we had longer together, the outcome would have been different," Bloomfield said in a statement, external to the League Managers Association.
"Naturally, I'm disappointed not to be taking things forward. I was excited to continue this work and implement our clear vision to evolve the playing style and move the club forward."
Oxford ended last season with 47 points in 22nd place, four points behind 21st placed West Bromwich Albion.
Blackburn appoint Dodds as assistant head coachpublished at 16:04 BST 27 June
16:04 BST 27 June
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Image caption,
Mike Dodds had been at Oxford United working alongside Matt Bloomfield
Blackburn Rovers have brought in former Wycombe boss Mike Dodds as their new assistant head coach.
Dodds leaves Oxford United, where he worked alongside former head coach Matt Bloomfield, to link back up with Blackburn boss Tony Mowbray.
The 40-year-old began his career as a youth coach at Coventry before spending 12 years within Birmingham's set-up.
He left Blues in 2021 for Sunderland where he worked alongside Mowbray as head of individual player development.
He took charge of 18 games as caretaker manager of the Black Cats, winning four matches, during 2023-24 before being appointed Wycombe head coach in 2025.
Dodds' stint at Wanderers lasted seven months before he was sacked, with the Chairboys having won 10 of 31 games.
'Hoping for the best, fearing the worst'published at 16:04 BST 24 June
16:04 BST 24 June
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We asked you for your thoughts on new Oxford United boss Aaron Ramsey and while the former Wales midfielder has plenty of star quality, not everyone is starry-eyed at his appointment.
Here is a selection of what you had to say:
Ali: Not overly surprised that we sacked Matt, timing seems a bit off though. Aaron is a big risk, thought we'd go for someone with more experience. We will obviously back him but can see this either being a 100 point season or, more likely, a complete disaster. Reckon Oxford will be looking for a new manager in November...
Hostis: I have no idea why Bloomfield was sacked. We were playing better after he joined and thought with him we had a chance of going straight back up. Now we get into another manager merry-go-round where Ramsey will have until Christmas.
I hate the new board.
Charlie: He's a good choice for us. Not proven anywhere yet but he's got to learn somewhere and League One will probably be a good place to start. Seems like he's also ready for a challenge and will get us back into the Championship.
Nigel: Happy with this, hopefully Ramsey can use his contacts in the game to get some decent signings. Could be a good appointment for both Ramsey and OUFC.
William: I'm not pleased, but I'm not fuming.
It felt like we were building something with Bloomfield and so to throw it away for an untested manager is confusing. Then again Ramsey should be given a chance, if he has the right style and is backed by the board he could succeed. Regardless, whoever is in charge, up the Ox! COYY!
Richard: Yes I'm happy. I'm sure he will be giving everything to have a successful season.
If it had to be an ex-player, I prefer a box-to-box midfielder, as he was. As managers, I think they understand all areas of the pitch better than a striker or defender would. With his playing experience and having played under many good managers, I think he's a good choice at this time.
Roops: Seems like the proverbial 'rolling the dice' option, given Ramsey has minimal managerial pedigree. Yes it's great if the owner intends to commit in terms of finances, despite relegation, and the replacement chairman wants more involvement in decision-making than his predecessor, but at some point they need to stabilise and trust their decisions for longer than a few months.
In the best case, it'll probably be two to three seasons until we'll mount another promotion challenge.
Mark: Could this be a Wayne Rooney appointment? Hoping for the best, fearing the worst. Holding judgement.
Kevin: Think all Oxford fans want to hear from the ownership group as to why they waited so long to make the decision to replace Bloomfield with Ramsey.
As for Ramsey, he is saying all the right stuff and the squad is a good one for the level so hoping for exciting times ahead! Looking forward to seeing how he uses his contacts in the game in terms of signings, friendlies or coaching staff.
William: Very! As a Welsh Oxford United fan it definitely feels like a surreal crossover between my club and country. Very excited to see if he can be as good as, I think, we all believe he can be.
Are you happy with Ramsey's appointment?published at 18:23 BST 23 June
18:23 BST 23 June
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Former Arsenal and Wales midfielder Aaron Ramsey has been appointed as Oxford United's new head coach.
The 35-year-old took charge of three matches at Cardiff City at the end of the 2024-25 season but his role with the U's will be his first permanent managerial job in football.
Ramsey replaces Matt Bloomfield, who was sacked after Oxford were relegated from the Championship to League One last season.
Oxford fans, are you happy with Ramsey's appointment?
If not, who would you have liked instead?
What are your expectations for the 2026-27 campaign?
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