Shrewsbury Town foiled in striker search
Boss Graham Turner today admitted he isn’t “overly optimistic” of adding extra firepower to his Shrewsbury Town squad before this week’s transfer deadline.
Turner has been keen to bring in a striker ahead of the window closing on Friday night. But, despite scouring the market over recent weeks, the Town chief has revealed any business looks unlikely at this stage.
“We’re not overly optimistic about bringing somebody in before the deadline,” said Turner, who said he has an open mind over whether to pursue a loan or permanent deal.
“We have worked hard. The bar has been raised in terms of the quality and character of players we want to bring in.
“Some of the ones we’ve been looking at, it has been said they will finish up at Championship clubs.
“While I’m not unhappy with the squad and the way we have been performing, it would have been nice to have brought somebody in but it hasn’t materialised yet.
“The criteria is we want something better than we’ve got and that’s a difficult task to find that sort of player at the moment.”
Turner, who confirmed he expects no departures before Friday, also revealed funds are available for a new addition if required.
“Whenever I’ve wanted to sign a player, there has been support from the chairman (Roland Wycherley),” he added.
“He knows what a big season it is. He wants to be near the top of the table fighting for promotion and not looking over our shoulder and thinking about relegation.
“The chairman is prepared to back what I want to do, within reason.
“Everybody knows we won’t spend hundreds of thousands on players.
“But if the right one is out there that could prove to be an investment, both in terms of the immediate effect on the team and the long-term future, that money would be available.”
Should no deal be completed before Friday, the emergency loan window re-opens for Football League clubs on September 7.
Midfielder Asa Hall missed yesterday’s 4-0 reserve team victory over Oldham with a dead leg but is expected to be available for the trip to Stevenage on Saturday.