Carlisle United Football Club

“I've got two more names on my list,” he confirmed. “I'm trying to find out their availability and their willingness to at least come and talk to us before we talk about finances. 

“Some representatives want to go straight to the money. I know what the players can do so I need to find out character wise if I want to pursue it. 

“We're looking for players who will improve the squad because that’s what we're turning that changing room into. We can't say we're going to play 4-4-2 from now until the end of the season, so it's nice to have game changers on the bench and flexibility in the starting 11 as well.” 

“The situation with the compromise agreement we reached with Alex Marrow could see more positive talks with Kyle Dempsey and Brad Potts,” he revealed. “They are both players who we see as assets to the club. 

“John [Nixon] has made a request to speak to Kyle's agent again. We want to do things face to face because we think that’s the right way to do things. There haven't been any other enquiries about Kyle or Brad.

“We're still waiting to hear back from both agents. We've given them time slots to let them know when myself and John Nixon are available, so it's just about tying up the loose ends. It's a busy time for agents at the moment and they’ve tried asking us to negotiate via email, but that isn't the way that myself and John want to do it. I think it's important that if the players aren't seen as a priority by their representative they should take that into account.”

“We're hoping Brad Potts can now return to training and playing without the pain killing injections,” he added. “It hasn't been easy for him, but he’s still been a threat and he’s been doing his job defensively. The fewer injections he has, the more he will be able to train, which should mean he will very quickly return to the goal scoring form he was in. 

“If I thought Kyle [Dempsey] needed a rest, or that his energy levels and performance levels had dipped, then I would consider it. It was evident in the Wimbledon game when Kyle ran past two of their midfielders in the last two minutes. It broke down at the edge of their box so he retrieved the ball and went again. 

“He doesn't hold anything back and it’s pleasing to see that energy and desire because he’s got a lot in the tank. Bury were also impressed with our energy levels on Saturday which is a tick in the box for Lee Fearn.”

“Obviously we’ve seen we have assets at the club people will be interested in, but another pleasing thing is that I haven't been told that if we get a certain offer the player will have to go,” he told us. 

“I would be happy if there was no business either way because as long as the players perform I will look after the results. Nothing major is needed, but if we could do some tidying up in certain areas I would be pleased. If we can't do that I will still be happy.”

“There is a request to move players out, but it isn't a necessity,” he explained. “I haven't been told that no other dealings can happen unless there are players going in the other direction. If I can identify someone to bring in, and we can make it happen, then we will.

“We’ve organised a game against Newcastle tomorrow [Tuesday] where the majority of those players who are available will be involved. That will give people who have made tentative enquiries the chance to have a look, so I will be expecting a good performance from the players. We've had a few enquiries about the availability of players from Scottish clubs but nothing more than that.”  

The manager also confirmed that striker Shaun Tuton has joined the club for a trial spell this week.

“Shaun is a player Lee Dykes knows about,” he said. “It wasn't supposed to be publicised that he was coming here. We spoke to the player and his representative, who said he had clearance from his football club to enable him to come up here. 

“I know the Buxton manager, Martin McIntosh, as he used to live up the road from me in Sheffield. I've tried to make a phone call to make sure Martin is aware that Shaun's representatives have told us he can come here. I'm trying to iron that out because we like to do things properly. 

“He is one we've been told to have a look at by a few people. We haven't got the amount of scouts we would like so it’s a good opportunity to have a look at him. A goal scorer is a goal scorer - if you can hit the back of the net at one level you tend to carry that on. If he does enough during his trial then it’s something I can take to John. We need to find out where he’s at physically and we may also need permission from his club before he can play in the game against Newcastle.” 

And with his final word on the transfer window, he said: “It’s a jigsaw puzzle. You start with the four corner pieces and then you start putting the edges in. For me, that’s where we are at this moment in time. We’re putting the edges in.”