Shape-up time for Saints squad as Ipswich takes a back seat

Jack Ross’s attention remains firmly focused on St Mirren as he revealed he is preparing to delve into the transfer market.

With no end-game in sight when it comes to Ipswich Town’s interest in the gaffer, Ross continues to work behind the scenes shaping up the squad for next season’s assault on the Premiership.

And having allowed 14 players to leave the club at the end of last season, Ross says he has no time to wait around when it comes to bolstering the Buddies’ ranks.

Ross told Express Sport: “We have a number of targets lined up and it is something that we are continuously working on.

“We take quite a strategic approach to our recruitment but we probably need signings across the board because we are losing quite a lot of players.

“There are obvious positions that we need to fill, for example we are losing Lewis – he’s not an easy player to replace.

“There is no chance of him coming back to us next season, he will go on to Celtic and get the opportunity to play there, which is good.

“I wouldn’t want him to just come straight back because he deserves the opportunity that he is going to get at Celtic.

“That is the most difficult one and that will be one that we have to go and get right.

“The players we are signing probably won’t be guaranteed finished articles.

“Instead, we are looking for players with potential.

“That doesn’t mean that they are youngsters, it just means that they still have areas of their game that we can work on.

“I’d always back the environment that we create here to get the best out of players.”

However, the St Mirren boss admitted that he may have to be crafty with his budget when the time comes to splashing the cash.

He revealed that punters would be taken aback by how little he actually spent over the course of last season but says he has no qualms with the amount he has at his disposal.

Ross said: “We have operated on a budget that would probably surprise a lot of people.

“I think we have done incredibly well, considering what we have had to spend.

“The challenge is now to keep pushing to make demands of the board for things that I feel we need.

“I would never ask for something I didn’t think we needed.

“The board has been good to me in the time that I have been here.

“They have been very supportive, so we will be okay in terms of the budget.

“We won’t have millions to spend, but we should be okay when it comes to recruitment.”