Boss talks transfers acquired, targets missed and potential for the loan window
By Matt Johnson
Graham Turner bemoaned a “frustrating” couple of weeks of transfer activity after missing out on top targets to add to his squad for the League One run-in.
Collapsing deals left Turner without the striker he has been actively looking for, but not for want of trying on the Club’s part.
“It’s been a real frustrating time,” said Turner.
“Earlier in the week it looked very positive. We made offers for players, fairly substantial offers, and it looked likely to progress in one or two cases. But gradually, as they joined other clubs, or their parent club suddenly had a problem themselves in bringing their replacements in, the deals collapsed.
“It would have been nice to strengthen in that area [striker], and that was the position we were looking at. That’s the place we’ve worked very hard at over the last few days to try and achieve something, but it hasn’t happened. For whatever reason, players have decided to join other clubs.”
Turner was pleased however to be able to welcome defender Rob Edwards to the club on a one-month loan, taking the number of January signings to six after the acquisitions of Stephen McGinn, Yado Mambo and Cameron Gayle on loan, with Dave McAllister and Luke Rodgers penning permanent deals.
“He’s an experienced defender [Edwards]. I felt that, because of Jermaine Grandison being out for a while, we look a little bit thin on experience at the back. He’s played for some big clubs.
“It was a matter of, ‘could we go through the next month without cover?’ The month Rob is here will give us that cover we need.”
GT will have a second chance to bring in reinforcements next week when the emergency loan window opens on Friday and he admits potential deals are already in the pipeline.
“There’s a couple of club’s that have made half-promises that, once they’ve cleared their situation, the players will be allowed out when the window opens. 93 days is the maximum, and that would take us until the end of the season anyway, so we’ll keep looking at it.”
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