PLAYER HUNT WILL BE EASIER
Recent run makes Livi move more attractive says boss
Livingston boss David Martindale insists the club’s recent fine form will make the club a more attractive proposition as they head into the transfer window.
The Lions have turned their season around since the 46-year-old replaced Gary Holt with Martindale leading the Lions to six straight wins and a Betfred Cup semi- final berth at Hampden.
This will be the first transfer window in which the new boss will combine both the manager’s role with the position of head of football operations which saw him largely responsible for the club’s transfer and recruitment policy.
That won’t be a bother, though, he says, as he admitted they’ve already identified their main targets but confirmed that players will likely have to move on to make way for any new faces.
He said: “I quite look forward to it, I enjoy the recruitment side of it, the wheeling and dealing stuff.
“We normally identify most of our targets way before the window so we are working on a couple of targets but we do need to move a couple of boys on.
“The wins mean those positions aren’t as crucial as what they maybe were eight or nine weeks ago. It gives you a wee bit of breathing space.
“It also gives you a wee bit of leverage with the recruitment. Let’s say I was wanting a number nine, the agent and the player would probably be holding back and trying to get a wee bit more money.
“Anybody looking to come in now knows we’re not desperate on that position. So it makes my job that wee bit easier and the player is also probably looking to be a part of Livingston because of the recent success.”
He added: “We’ve got a semi-final at Hampden, so you’ve got potential players at other clubs thinking, ‘they’re in the top half of the Premiership and they’re in a League Cup semi-final’.
“It kind of makes it a little bit easier. It’s not such a hard sell.”
Livingston travel to Hibernian on Saturday for their first game of 2021. Kick-off at Easter Road is 3pm.