Tommy Wright has a team’s worth of players due to run out of contract in the summer.
And the St Johnstone boss is keen to avoid getting into a “bargaining situation” with other clubs when they are able to open discussions about a pre-contract agreement in the near future.
Reiterating his position that new deals for current players are more of a priority than fresh recruitment when the January transfer window opens, Wright stressed that the McDiarmid Park “continuity” model of success needs to be protected.
“My priority right now is to get the players I want to keep signed up,” he said.
“I have about a dozen going out of contract so I have to prioritise.
“We need to tie the players up because it is important we keep this squad together for continuity going forward. We know what they can do at this level and that is important.
“Getting players signed up early has served us well in the past and my job is to identify the players I want sorted out.
“As a manager I am identifying the better players and my worry is that other teams might do the same thing.
“There are players here who will definitely attract interest so we could end up losing them or getting ourselves into a bargaining situation with other clubs.
“I certainly don’t want that sort of situation developing so I gave the list to the chairman.
“We have been built on continuity here. There will be players who will leave but it is important we get deals done as quickly as possible and keep the nucleus of the squad together.
“I don’t want to see the likes of Swanson, Shaughnessy, Wotherspoon, Easton and others leaving the club.
“We are entering the period when clubs can start to talk to players so we should try to get things done early again.”
