Carlisle United Football Club

“I met with our Head of Recruitment, Lee Dykes, on Sunday and we went through the finer points of four or five names we have,” he explained. “We’ve assessed availability, pricing and costs, and we’ve looked at some of the detail of the type of characters they are. 

“I’m not desperate to make anything happen at this moment in time. If the right people are out there, and they tick the right boxes for me, we’ll take it to the next stage. That’s when we will talk finances because that’s always the last stage as far as I’m concerned. 

“If I get the right person then it could be that I’m more open, when we discuss the financial aspects, so I’ll always do the homework first. However, I’m always looking for value for money.”

And on the prospect of players going out on loan to other clubs, he said: “My phone has been quiet and that’s disappointing for all parties. 

“Every player wants to play, but some haven’t done enough to merit a place in our squad, at times, in my opinion. That’s when they need to knock on my door so they can determine exactly what it is they’re not doing. If they feel there’s no light at the end of the tunnel after we’ve finished that conversation then it’s possibly time to find another bus.

“The thing to remember is, players are effectively self employed, within a team framework. They have got to make sure they are alright. If they’re not in the team there has got to be a reason for it. Injury and suspension aside, if it’s down to selection then you have to ask yourself if you’re doing enough.”

“As I said at the weekend, our stance hasn’t changed on Brad Potts,” he continued. “It looks like his agent is working tirelessly to find him a move and he’s come up with Blackpool.

“It’s possible they’ve asked about the loan to see if we wanted to move him on, but we have a valuation for him. They’re like every other club; they want the best price possible if they’re selling a player, and the cheapest possible price if they’re buying. 

“Obviously, for us, we want the best price we can get for Brad Potts because we rate him very highly. We think he will have a very purposeful career. For him to get that he needs to be playing. 

“We’re trying to set him a stage where he can play and perform on a regular basis. He is by no means the finished article, so he still has to develop and improve. The last thing you want for him is to see him go to another football club and not play. 

“He’s still feeling the after effects of him not being able to train properly at the moment. He’s been having his injections, sometimes at half time, and that’s bound to affect you. However, I appreciate his commitment and willingness to put the pain aside and play for us.”