John Potter admits Raith Rovers would like to lower the age of their squad with the players they sign this summer.
But the Stark’s Park technical director insists the type of player is what matters most.
The Kirkcaldy outfit upped their average age with last summer’s recruitment when they snapped up Hibernian duo Lewis Stevenson, now 37, and Paul Hanlon, now 35.
With the likes of Callum Fordyce, Josh Mullin, Scott Brown, Shaun Byrne and Dylan Easton all 30 or over, and both Ross Matthews and Lewis Vaughan aged 29, Rovers have one of the oldest squads in the Championship.
They did partly address that balance 12 months ago with the capture of teenagers Lewis Gibson and Kai Montagu, whilst January signing Jordan Doherty is 24.
However, Potter – who leads on recruitment with manager Barry Robson – is aware of the issue as he hunts for fresh faces ahead of next season.
“Yes, we would like to,” Potter told Courier Sport when asked about bringing down the age profile of the Rovers squad. “But I’m never really too hung up on that.
“People can talk about it, but Lewis Stevenson is 37 and played more minutes than anybody else last season. Paul Hanlon is 35 and is very similar.
Potter: Raith seeking ‘different types’
“So, I think the type is more important.
“We would like to do it, but we need to bring in different types of players. Yes, age is a little bit part of that – but there’s other factors as well.”
With five players released at the end of their deals and a further four loanees having departed, Raith remain in discussions with another five players over fresh terms.
And, with just 14 under contract as it stands, one of them being outcast Sam Stanton, there is plenty of scope for Robson to put his stamp on his squad ahead of next season.
“It’s busy, we’re trying to get things done,” added Potter. “We’ve got to do our work, we’ve got to try and get some players in.
“It can be frustrating, because sometimes people aren’t in as big a rush as you are to get things done.
“I think players in general nowadays can be a bit more relaxed on where they’re going to go and in the decisions that have been made.
“And the season’s not even finished yet for some clubs, so it’s still very early.
“But we’ve got a lot of work to do. It’s about trying to improve our squad so we can hit the ground running when we’re back in.”
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