Thomas Courts is confident keeper Benjamin Siegrist won’t follow Lawrence Shankland out of the Dundee United exit door this month.
Siegrist, 29, has been the subject of interest from several clubs from both sides of the border as he enters the final year of his contract.
Ipswich and Celtic were both linked with Siegrist in the summer – who captained United in their Premier Sports Cup win over Ayr United last week.
But it seems unlikely Siegrist will now make a switch to either club.
Ipswich have signed former St Mirren keeper Vaclav Hladky and Joe Hart is the new No 1 at Celtic.
And while Court lost striker Shankland in a £1 million move to Belgian side Beerschot last week, he doesn’t believe Swiss star Siegrist will leave in this transfer window.
“I am hopeful he (Siegrist) will stay on the basis that he loves the club and he is committed,” said Courts.
“He is able to perform consistently well for Dundee United and he is in no rush to leave.
“We have spoken to him about prolonging his stay but at the same time, he’s 29 and he’s been a top performer for years.
🗣️"There is always going to be interest but we are professionals and have to deal with that."
With clubs reportedly interested in Benjamin Siegrist, we caught up with the Dundee United goalkeeper to discuss his future and the new Premiership season. pic.twitter.com/oleTvfYRB8
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) July 21, 2021
Courts hopes Benjamin Siegrist will stay at Dundee United beyond summer
“Naturally, there will always be interest in a guy of that calibre.
“We are quite relaxed about it. We’d love him to stay here for the remainder of his contract and beyond.
“But we also know how capable he is at the top level of the game. We are open-minded to everything that develops in the next couple of weeks.
“There’s nothing imminent just now and that’s good for our preparations week to week.
“I’m not planning for anyone going out of the building.
“That has allowed us to get the performance against Rangers and the consistency of results.
“Everyone is remaining focused and there is nothing that tells me that we are about to lose a player imminently.
“Even within the transfer window there is nothing concrete for any of our players.
“I’m feeling quite optimistic that we’ll retain most of them but I’m also open-minded to the fact that things can change quickly.
“It’s quite a fluid situation.
“For any first team player who has attracted interest we have ready-made replacements almost teed-up.
“Football is very transient but have ready-made replacements there. That will be linked to anybody going out of the building.
“I’d be pretty hopeful that we can secure a couple of players in the next few days. That will really help us – on the pitch – galvanise the players and excite the fans.”
Dundee United: Captain’s armband ‘proud moment’ for Ayr shoot-out hero Benjamin Siegrist