Finley Barbrook Joins Falkirk on Loan: McGlynn's 13th Signing
Ipswich midfielder Finley Barbrook has joined Falkirk on a season-long loan, becoming John McGlynn’s 13th signing of a busy summer – and the Falkirk manager insists he is not finished yet.
The 21-year-old arrives from newly promoted Premier League side Ipswich Town and steps straight into a squad gearing up for Sunday’s trip to Motherwell. McGlynn has been steadily reshaping his group and Barbrook is no late panic buy. He is one they have tracked, waited for, and finally landed.
Barbrook, a 6ft 2in defensive midfielder, spent last season in English League Two with Colchester United, where he made 16 league appearances and scored once. It was a low-key campaign in numbers, but the type of grounding McGlynn values.
“Finley’s someone we’ve had on the radar for some time,” the Falkirk boss said, underlining how long this move has been in the works. The deal took longer than he would have liked, but there was no disguising his satisfaction at getting it over the line.
McGlynn sees more than just height and legs. He talked up Barbrook as an all-rounder: comfortable taking the ball deep, able to pick passes, athletic enough to cover ground. The physical profile matters, though. At 6ft 2in, Barbrook brings the kind of presence Falkirk have been hunting without sacrificing technique.
That balance has clearly been a theme of their recruitment. McGlynn admitted the obvious trade-off that often comes with size, the stereotype of the big midfielder who cannot do what the “tiny wee guys” can. Barbrook, in his eyes, breaks that mould – “a well-balanced boy” and, crucially, the exact type they felt the squad lacked.
So they waited. Other options were available, but Falkirk chose patience over compromise. “We’ve been patient waiting on him because he was the one that we wanted,” McGlynn said, a line that tells its own story about how central Barbrook is to his plans.
The loan takes Falkirk’s summer intake into double figures, yet McGlynn is still pushing for more. When asked if the business was done, he was clear: it is not. He is targeting as many as three further signings if the market breaks his way.
“It could be as many as three, maybe three more if everything goes to plan and if we’re lucky enough to get it done,” he said. The challenge, as always, lies in turning intention into ink on contracts. “It isn’t easy, but we have the scope to do it and we’re trying to do it.”
Barbrook’s arrival adds another piece to a rapidly rebuilt Falkirk side. The next question is simple: how many more will McGlynn manage to fit into this new-look puzzle before the window slams shut?
