Ian Murray has admitted Raith Rovers may need to be patient as they look to further strengthen their squad in a ‘weird’ transfer market.
The Stark’s Park boss has confessed he would like to add ‘one or two’ more to the seven signings already made this summer.
The experience of Lewis Stevenson, Paul Hanlon and Callum Fordyce has helped bolster a defence further boosted by the arrival of full-back Kieran Freeman.
With Shaun Byrne having turned his loan into a permanent move following his Dundee exit, the Kirkcaldy outfit have also snapped up teenagers Kai Montagu and Lewis Gibson.
In addition, new deals have been agreed with Dylan Easton, Ross Matthews, Liam Dick and Andrew McNeil to leave Murray content with his options ahead of the Premier Sports Cup kick-off a week on Saturday.
However, the Rovers manager is keen to do more business if he can in the coming weeks.
“We’re comfortable – but we’d like a couple more,” he told Courier Sport. “I think we need to maybe add one or two.
“But this is a really weird time for everybody, especially up here in Scotland with the League Cup starting soon.
‘It’s really, really hard’
“Players, particularly loan players, don’t get out.
“And then you’ve got teams competing in Europe, so they hold their players until all that’s done.
“So, it’s really, really hard.
“After the League Cup groups, then movement begins to happen again.
“But we’re in a position where if the right ones become available then we can go and try to get them.”
Stevenson followed Fordyce in kicking off the summer recruitment at the end of May.
It brought the Hibernian legend to his hometown team, where he now looks set to see out a lengthy career that began in midfield and has continued in defence.
And Murray has cleared up where he sees the 36-year-old playing for Rovers.
“The thinking behind it was mainly to get in a left-back,” he added.
‘Very adaptable’
“We know he can play further forward, we know he can play in the centre of midfield and he’s played a few times in a back three. So, he’s very adaptable.
“But we signed him because we felt we needed a little bit of competition in that area.
“We asked a lot last season of Liam Dick, who I thought had a really good season. He was really solid.
“But, again, it’s just about improving. If we can find a player who’s going to improve the squad, regardless of position, then we have to try to find them.”
