Saints to stick with current squad

Saints boss Mark Wotte has admitted that he is unable to sign any more players on loan due to club’s current financial situation.

In an open and honest interview, the Dutchman also went on to say that he is determined to get the best out of the fringe players that the club already have on their books.

Saints have signed a number of players on loan over the past two seasons, but with this week’s loan deadline fast approaching, the 49-year-old has declared that he is not expecting to make any last minute swoops to bolster his squad.

Speaking to the club’s official website, Wotte said, “As a manager, I would not be against signing players on loan, but you also have to respect the position of the club. It’s not easy to spend money when you have players on the bench, and it’s a fair shout from the club that if you have players like Bradley Wright-Philips or Matt Paterson then you have to give them the opportunity to show themselves.

Wotte added: “We have others, like Olly Lancashire and Romain Gasmi, who are not even on the bench at the moment, so we have a good squad and I can pick the players that I want from the 24 or 26 players. Only if we could have signed a player that was really better than what we already have and financially possible would anything have happened.

“I will keep faith with the players we have and I will give credit to the boys who have done well over the last few months. The other players are all working hard everyday to get a place on the bench or on the squad, but it’s a team game.”

Some of those players on the edge of the first-team will be given the chance to show Wotte what they can do as the Reserves play Reading this afternoon in the Combination Cup, with winger Lee Holmes set to feature at some point as he looks to make his eagerly anticipated come-back from injury.

“The most important thing is that they have to play and be ready for the first-team,” Wotte continued. “I want them to show me their form, desire and ambition to be a part of the first-team at the most important stage of the Championship.

“I also hear comments that we should recall Grzegorz Rasiak, Nathan Dyer or Stern John but we don’t have any option to do that so it’s out of the question.

“For Olly Lancashire, Zoltan Liptak, Matt Paterson and Ryan Smith specifically they have to play a very good game to show me they can be on the bench or starting in these last seven games.”

Southampton have over ten players out of contract at the end of the season, and Saints’ Head Coach has moved to clarify the situation, saying that he is confident that all of his players will be giving him 100% regardless of their own personal situation.

“I hope that those whose contracts are up also perform well and are motivated. We have spoken to a lot of players about extending their contracts, but the details have to be settled and negotiated with those individuals or their agents before anything can be announced.

“Some players will have to wait a little longer for decisions, because first things first we have to stay in the Championship before we can take major financial decisions.

“The financial situation of the club is not good so there are no easy decisions for the board to have to make, but we will need to decide which players we need and which we may have to let go because of the finances.

“It’s not easy to look ahead to next season already. I will stay in charge if we stay up, so I have my plan ready for next year, but we need that security of staying up first so the sooner we can achieve that the better.”