Oxford United struck gold in 2018 but QPR were waiting to pounce | OneFootball

One of many Oxford players proved too good to hold on to in the end

Oxford United have had superb success in producing elite central defenders, who would go on to play for bigger clubs, in recent years and very few players had such an impact on the club in a short space of time as Rob Dickie.

Dickie joined United in the 2018 January transfer window for an undisclosed fee from local rivals Reading. The defender was 21 at the time but had already spent several seasons playing regular football for the likes of Cheltenham Town and Lincoln City.

He was signed by Pep Clotet, who was the U's manager at the time. The Spaniard made some interesting signings in his short time at the club, but securing the signature of Dickie was undoubtedly a fantastic decision in hindsight.

Rob Dickie showed his quality from the start

United were in poor form when the Englishman signed, and manager Clotet was fired weeks after he joined the club, to be replaced by Karl Robinson. It was under this reign that United began to churn out these highly talented young defenders, with Dickie being the first example.

The youngster stepped into the back four and immediately looked at home. He developed brilliant partnerships with club captain Curtis Nelson and John Mousinho, who stepped in at centre-back and took the armband when Nelson tore his ACL. Both were experienced defenders who were able to pass on their knowledge to a rapidly developing Dickie.

The England Under-19 international showed his quality very early on, with a fantastic ability to bring the ball out and start attacks on his own by dribbling through the midfield. His calmness under pressure was clear to see and with Robinson's style of play, he was able to thrive.

Dickie became a leader as Oxford looked for promotion

As time went on, Dickie had cemented his place in the back line at Oxford, alongside skipper Nelson. He continued to play expansive and confident football from the back line, helping United transition from defense into attack.

United had quickly gone from a side looking to stay in the league, to suddenly pushing to win promotion to the Championship, and United's solid back line was a key part of that. Captain Curtis Nelson had left for Cardiff City, and Robinson gave the captaincy to Dickie, who had shown immense strength, ability and maturity considering his age.

Robinson continued to sign exciting young central defenders by bringing both Rob Atkinson and Elliot Moore to the club. Atkinson was 21, and Moore was 22, although the lack of experience didn't seem to affect the players, with Moore and Dickie leading Oxford to a famous 4-0 home win over West Ham in the League Cup.

During his time at the Kassam, Dickie was a part of the side that made it to the League One play-off final, after Covid-19 brought the 2019/20 season to an abrupt end. The EFL decided to end the season on a 'Points Per Game' basis. United's impressive start to the season saw them finish fourth, earning themselves a play-off spot. And after defeating Portsmouth on penalties in the semi-finals, they lost to Wycombe Wanderers in the final.

At the end of the season, Oxford received an offer for Dickie. The youngster had been immense all season for the Yellows and was voted Supporters' player of the Year. After only two-and-a-half years at the club, it was time for Dickie to take the next step in his career and QPR pounced to bring him to Loftus Road.

A Championship regular for QPR and Bristol City

It was clear to see that the Englishman had too much quality for League One and he has gone on to prove that in abundance. Since leaving United, the defender has made nearly 200 appearances in the second tier of English football.

Dickie played for QPR for three seasons and was a constant in the side during his time at the club. In his first season at the club, he won Supporters' Player of the Year, Players' Player of the Year and Goal of the Season for his long-range goal at Middlesbrough. Not a bad introduction to life in the Championship. The youngster played at least 40 times in each of his three seasons in West London and was even able to chip in with eight goals in that time as well.

After his time at Loftus Road, Dickie moved to Bristol City to QPR. The defender has shown no sight of slowing down and has established himself as a key figure in the Robins' side.

Oxford opted for a more pragmatic transfer window this time around

As we look back on this January transfer window, United's business has looked a little different to previous years. The likes of Dickie and Atkinson were both January signings, with a clear idea of identifying these prominent young players who will be drip-fed into the team.

The January window is used to bring in players who can hopefully replace those who will be moving on in the summer. This is where we almost see a conveyor belt of players coming in and out of the club.

This window has been different. Instead of recruiting a young and exciting central defender, United opted to sign 29-year-old Michał Helik from Huddersfield. The Polish international is a seasoned professional in the Championship and provided a quick fix to help United in the here and now, not looking too far into the future.

Oxford will be hoping they have made the right choices in their 'quick fix' style of recruitment, with the aim being to solidify a place in the Championship next season.