Gaffer set to speak with agent about player offers
Town manager Graham Turner was back at the Greenhous Meadow after a short break and it was back to business as he looks to plan for next season League 1 campaign.
The contract offers have already been made to a number of last season’s players with Aaron Wildig and Tom Bradshaw already taking up the offers.
GT is pleased that the two youngsters have already put pen to paper and will be Town players next season:”I think Tom finished the season off really well and has a lot of potential, what we need to see is that potential coming out.
“He can score and has proved that, maybe he lost his way a little bit last season and didn’t produce what he is capable of but towards the end of the season you could see that potential again.
“Next season is a big season for Tom and he has got to fulfil that potential now.
“Aaron Wilding is a very good footballer, he sees a pass, executes it well and he is another with a lot of potential.
“If he can grow in confidence, and if that can come from a run in the side and a few good results from when he is in the team then that would be good, if you look the team has generally done well when Aaron plays.
“His best position is ultimately in the centre of midfield but we can always play him on the right hand side and I’m hoping we will see the best of him next season.”
The manager has always given youth a chance to shine over his managerial career and that doesn’t look like stopping. He is hoping that all of the youngsters offered contracts will agree to sign and he will then be looking to add the right type of experience to help the along:”Sometimes you have to have a look at the make-up of the squad and I had success in my first period with Town when we had a young, hungry and energetic team.
“I think we lost our way a little bit last season so we have to try and get something along the lines of a hungry young side with the right experienced players alongside them and young players respond to that.
“They also respond to a good run in the side, the results going well, the crowd to take to them and we need that energy from everyone for next season.”
Town have always tried to work within the clubs budget and this is a philosophy that the manager agrees with. He knows he will have a budget that will allow the club to compete but he’s looking to build like Yeovil rather that spend a lot of money like some clubs:”We can’t afford the top quality players that some of the clubs will bring in, you take Bournemouth as an example of last season and they invested a lot of money in getting promotion and we are not in the same streets as they are.
“We are more of a Yeovil type of set-up and they have proved that you don’t have to spend big money to be successful.
“As long as you have that spirit in your side and that energy it can makes things happen and a club to be successful.
“That success isn’t instant and doesn’t happen overnight, we got out of League 2 and have consolidated in our first season in League 1 but we also learnt a lot.
“We now understand what we need from certain players and what quality we need to push us on.”
Jon Taylor, Connor Goldson, Jermaine Grandison and Ryan Woods are still to indicate if they will be accepting the offers that are on the table. GT is meeting with their agent this week but the players still have until June 14th to agree to the clubs offer so there is time to continue the talks:”I’ve got a meeting with the agent of Ryan Woods, Jon Taylor and Connor Goldson to see if we can resolve their situation.
“It’s almost a cat and mouse time of the season and it’s sometimes hard work to bring deals to conclusion.
“That applies to existing contracts as well as any new players that we would like to bring in and those negotiations can sometimes drag on.
“We want players that other clubs want as well so you are in a marketplace where there is competition, the agents and players want to talk to those clubs and can take weeks to make up their minds.
“We’ve just got to be patient and see all the deals through.”