Alan Stubbs talks to www.themillers.co.uk...
Manager Alan Stubbs says the closure of the transfer window doesn’t signal the end of his efforts to add to his squad.
The Millers boss added his 13th signing yesterday after striking a deal for highly-rated England under 19 international Dael Fry from Middlesbrough.
Despite bolstering his defensive options, Stubbs was left frustrated in his quest to add some firepower to his ranks, but remains active in discussions with free agents who remain available to sign outside of the window.
“There are still a number of options out there that we are looking to explore,” he told www.themillers.co.uk
“There is the possibility of bringing in free agents, and even though the window has been and gone it wasn’t going to affect that type of player.
“I think everybody knows that we have tried very hard to bring in a striker, and that’s not done yet, we are still working on that.”
Stubbs admitted he worked round the clock to make further additions, but admitted that the final deals on the table for potential new recruits would not have been in the best interests of the club.
“If you look at yesterday’s deadline day I was literally on the phone from 7:30 in the morning until 10 at night,” he added.
“At one point we were looking at bringing in four players, and then for one reason or another, whether it was personal terms or parent clubs making unrealistic demads, we couldn’t go any further.
“We did manage to get one deal across the line, and we agreed a fee for a player at another club but couldn’t agree personal terms. That’s no fault of anyone at the club; it was through extreme demands from players and their representatives."
Whilst Stubbs admitted he has been happy with the 13 players he has brought to the club since his arrival, he says he will continue to work hard to add more new faces before the season resumes following the international break.
“It was disappointing but we have still brought a lot of players in, and even now the window has closed we are still actively looking to bring players in," he continued.
“We have a squad of 22 players here and it would have been easy for me to add more to that, but they have to be the right types especially when it is going to cost a significant amount of money to the club.
“Now the window has closed there is still the opportunity to bring in free agents, but if not we go with what we’ve got, and work really hard with that.”