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MICHAEL Skubala has explained Lincoln City’s plans for the January transfer window and the importance of decisions around loan players’ futures being made quickly.
The Imps boss will have spent a large part of his first few weeks on the job assessing the current squad and trying to align that with the club’s transfer plans for the upcoming window – allowing some to potentially move on while trying to improve in certain areas.
Skubala admitted the team does need improvements in certain areas, but at the same time seemed relaxed about the current state of the squad and preparations for January.
He said: “We need to strengthen in a couple of areas, but I am more than happy with what we’ve got in some positions.
“When I speak about learning about the players, it is more about their habits and what they do on the pitch rather than thinking about whether I need to replace them.
“I’m thinking about how we can build around what we have already, but as always, there are a few moving parts, but I’m sure it will be exciting as most transfer windows are.
“Jez [George] and the team are working hard on [transfers] while I’m trying to look after the team on the pitch currently.
“I’m speaking with the recruitment team every day to try and get a plan in place, but there already was one before I joined which is good for the club and we know what we’re doing already, but it is not as easy to get deals done as people think sometimes.”
The Imps do have a couple of loan players currently on the books, all three are until the end of the season, however, but while the transfer window is open, parent clubs do have the option to recall if needed. That provides a level of uncertainty for the clubs with loan players who are important members of the squad, with Skubala hoping any decisions that need to be made are done quickly.
He added: “We’re in constant contact with the parent clubs and I know this is important to the parent clubs as well as it is to us to get decisions made early [on whether players will be recalled].
“It’s one of those situations where you want everyone involved to be truthful and then we can decide quickly what we need to do in the window.”
One player currently out on loan from Lincoln is Freddie Draper and the 19-year-old striker has had a good season so far in League Two with Walsall, scoring eight times in 17 league appearances.
Draper is touted as having a bright future with the Imps, having signed a new long-term deal in the summer after a productive loan in Ireland last term, but there is the question of whether the club will cut his time at Walsall short to get him in the team sooner.
Skuala responded: “He’s doing well and he is growing every week so I think it is part of the jigsaw that we need to look at.
“We’ve been watching his games and we need to make sure we get that decision right.
“It’s important that we get it right for him and the club, because his continued development can benefit both parties.”