Wright closes in on signings – and offers seven new terms

St Johnstone manager Tommy Wright is closing in on two new signings for next season.

The Perth boss, who also revealed that new terms have been offered to seven current players, is confident that the new arrivals will soon be confirmed.

“We have two who have agreed in principal to come to us next season,” he said.

“They just need to be finalised in terms of a medical and actually signing the agreement.

“We’ll continue to work to bring players in to improve the squad for next season.

“Without going into any real detail, offers have been made to five (current players) if you include one of the younger players. There are two with clauses which I’m expecting them to initiate.

“We try to work away and when we get things over the line we announce them. We are not sitting on our hands.”

Two Scottish Cup-winning heroes – Steven MacLean and Alan Mannus – agreed precontracts away from McDiarmid Park this week but Wright has no doubts that they will be as committed as ever in the final few games of the Premiership campaign.

He said: “Knowing the characters of them, they don’t want to go out being remembered in their last games as playing poorly.

“You need to know the person. Certainly in the case of Mannus and MacLean, I don’t have any doubts.

“If you go back previously, Liam Craig played a full four or five months and gave everything for the club right up to when he left. He even scored a goal in his last game on the last day.”

Dundee manager Neil McCann had his touchline ban reduced to one game on appeal and Wright now wants to “draw a line” under the post-match incident the last time Saints made the trip to Dens Park “It’s done and dusted,” he said. “Ultimately we have owned up and Zander (Clark) has done the right thing.

“The SFA have found the other party guilty. That is it finished with and it draws a line under it.

“Whether the sanctions are fair or not is irrelevant. That is for the authorities to decide.

“It shouldn’t add extra spice because it’s a derby anyway. Dundee will be fighting for their lives. They had plans of getting top six this year. They need the points for different reasons than us.

“We are desperate for the points to finish seventh while they are desperate for the points to get away from the relegation and play-off places. Both teams have something to play for.

“My players will be up for it. They want to finish the season strongly and we have always done well in the post-split games. We want to finish seventh.

“It’s a derby game so there will be a decent atmosphere. Training has been good all week and the players are looking lively.

“I think they can see the finish line too which always puts a little spring in their step.”