All the focus on St Johnstone during the transfer window so far has been on a possible departure, but Perth boss Steve Lomas has revealed he is working tirelessly to ensure there are some arrivals.
Rangers manager Ally McCoist has today confirmed making a pre-contract offer for the former Dundee United man, and he hopes to agree a deal with Sandaza early next week.
That puts the chances of the Spaniard lining up against Rangers in Saturday’s early kick-off in some doubt.
With his top stars attracting interest, Lomas has been assessing trialists behind closed doors, including former Dundee United defender Jim Paterson, and speaking to contacts north and south of the border in an attempt to bolster his squad.
He reported: ”I’ll be delighted when we get to February and the close of the transfer window. We are seeing boys doing really well here and at a club like St Johnstone we have to target potential replacements.
“I have spent the last two months with a phone to my ear and the radiation levels in there must be horrendous!
”It’s hard attracting players from Leagues One and Two down south because of the budget restraints we have to work under. That has been a real learning curve for me and we have to think outside the box. It’s like sifting through sand to find the nugget of gold.
”We have a few irons in the fire but it isn’t straightforward. We have probably been working with a squad of 15 seniors and somewhere down the line we could come unstuck.
”We lost three games in a week recently and we don’t want another blip during a crucial stage of the season, with the next six or seven eight weeks vital for us and where we are going.
”I would like to bring in one or two extra bodies, especially a few younger ones, to help out the lads who are doing so well and I have told the chairman, Steve Brown, what I would like. It could make all the difference. He is a supporter himself and just like me he is ambitious for success in his first season in charge.”
”He keeps telling me we have a big squad but I think he got that from his dad. That line is probably handed down at birth in the Brown family! It ain’t easy but I’m trying to line up potential signings, although I am mindful how we have to work here.”
Meanwhile, Callum Davidson may not be risked after emerging from a tough start to the New Year, with flu and achilles problems compounded by twin injections in his shoulders.
He explained: ”I have had the shoulder problem for a while now and I’ve been struggling taking throw-ins for a month or so. It has been painful and it was decided I should get the injections.”
Saints have appointed Queen of the South’s physio, John Kerr, to replace Frank Kenny.
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