St Johnstone manager Steven MacLean has a clear picture of where his squad needs bolstered.
And the Perth boss won’t be fazed by missing out on transfer targets as he navigates the process of doing so.
A lack of summer signings thus far doesn’t equate to a lack of work being put in behind the scenes, MacLean stressed.
Offers have been made.
But bringing in new recruits who will make an impact in the Premiership is the priority as opposed to completing deals quickly, with a “good nucleus” already at McDiarmid Park affording him the time to get things right.
“We need to strengthen in a few areas,” said MacLean. “There’s no doubt about it.
“Goalkeeper, centre-half and a wide player are three positions we’re definitely looking at.
“I wouldn’t describe it as priority positions – they’re all priorities.
“I’m quite comfortable with what we’ve got to build on.
“If you look at the starting XI for the last two games of the season, I think there’s only Monty missing (Alex Mitchell replaced Andy Considine after the latter was injured in the warm-up before the Livingston match).
“There’s a good nucleus there.
“I don’t want to put a specific number on how many I want in the squad.
“You have to adapt and change plans.
“It’s a long season – you get injuries and loss of form – and you need to have a squad to cope with that but I don’t want it to be too big.”
St Johnstone boss has no transfer budget concerns
MacLean added: “We’ve spoken to players and made offers to a couple.
“We’ll be unsuccessful at times – that’s how football works.
“But we’ll certainly not be crying about it.
“You’re going to lose out on some. It could come down to another club paying more or a player just wants to go somewhere else.
“Normally it will be because someone else has a bigger budget than you.
“That’s just the way it is. I’m comfortable with that.
“People might think that there’s not a lot going on but the market is quite quiet in general and there’s a lot of work going on behind the scenes.
“I wouldn’t comment on my budget and say it’s big, small or whatever.
“All I know is I’ll try to get the best players I can and then I’ll work with them and improve them.
“A budget is a budget.”
Chance for young players to catch the eye
The four outfield players in his squad with the least first team top-flight experience – Max Kucheriavyi, Alex Ferguson, Taylor Steven and Liam Parker – could alter MacLean’s thinking over the next few weeks.
He certainly doesn’t want to block their paths.
“We’ve got Max, Alex, Taylor and Liam,” said MacLean.
“I’ve spoken to them all and I’ll be interested to see where they are in terms of their development over the course of pre-season.
“If they train well they’ll be given opportunities in games and then it will be up to them to take those opportunities.”
For MacLean and Stan Harris, this is their first transfer window as Saints’ manager and chief executive, respectively.
Head of football operations, Gus MacPherson, is another important part of the recruitment machine.
“I’ve got a good relationship with Stan and Gus,” said MacLean. “It’s very open and transparent.
“We get on really well and we’re always talking about how we can make the club better.
“We’ve all got connections and contacts – that’s the same with Liam (Craig) and Alex (Cleland).”
