The flow of players in and out of St Johnstone could be about to pick up pace again, with plates spinning as far as both are concerned.
Manager, Craig Levein is understood to have identified Hearts midfielder Connor Smith as a transfer target, with other signings also possible before the transfer window closes.
And, given players need to leave to free up the space and budget for recruits, there could soon be news on departures out of McDiarmid Park.
“We are trying to get a few things over the line and we’ll see how we get on,” said Levein.
“We have to cut the squad size down as well, which we’re in the process of trying to do.
“It’s always a challenge in January but there is interest from other clubs in some of our players.
“We have had some contact but nothing concrete at the moment.
“In this window, it’s usually the last two days that things speed up.
“Squad-wise, I think if you can get to 22-23 so you have a couple of people for each position and have some young ones on top of that, that’s probably the size you want.”
Robinson’s return
Luke Robinson joined in training at the Regional Performance Centre in Dundee yesterday, Saints’ base for the week, after Wigan decided to allow his loan to resume.
“We’re delighted to have Luke back,” said Levein.
“He’s been one of the top two or three consistent players for us since we came in.
“He played for Wigan the other night and came off the bench for them, so he’s not had that much more football than the rest of the guys.
“We’re glad he’s back and he should be available for the weekend.”
Kerr Smith won’t make his Saints debut at Airdrie on Saturday but Benji Kimpioka and David Keltjens could.
“Kerr is due back up on Monday,” Levein, who will also be without Dan Phillips (hamstring), reported.
“He trained with us for one day and tweaked his hamstring.
“He went back to Aston Villa for treatment but he’s fine now and he should be available for Aberdeen (on Wednesday).”
Tough test in Lanarkshire
It’s Championship v Premiership for Saints in the Scottish Cup but Levein knows that facing Airdrie represents a tough return to action after the mid-season break.
“Airdrie have been doing well recently,” he said.
“They play out from the back and play through the lines.
“The manager (Rhys McCabe) is one of the players so he’s able to keep them focused on the pitch and relay what he wants them to do.
“So being able to get messages across in those moments is maybe an advantage for them.
“I played with Sandy Jardine and he was brilliant for me – constantly talking all the time.
“So I can see there are benefits.
“With Rhys, he’s on the field and is able to control things instead of shouting himself hoarse from the sidelines.
“I have a great deal of respect for what he’s doing.
“We have trained well since coming back.
“The players have been focused, worked hard and they’re interested in how this process can help us get better.”
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