Paul Warne talks to www.themillers.co.uk...
Rotherham United boss Paul Warne is hopeful that the countless hours spent working behind the scenes on recruiting new summer targets will soon bear fruit, as he closes in on capturing his first summer signings.
In the immediate aftermath of the Wembley celebrations, Warne and his staff turned attentions to the new season and have been in regular contact with Head of Recruitment Jamie Johnson with a number of targets on the Millers' radar.
However, following countless phone calls and meetings over the summer, the Millers boss is confident that he will be able to unveil new faces imminently, with the first team squad set to return to full training on Monday morning.
“Whilst it may have looked quiet in the public eye, we've been working hard behind the scenes with Jamie Johnson and Paul Douglas in speaking to players, agents and clubs and we've had our focus on four or five targets who have been lined up for the last few weeks,” he told www.themillers.co.uk.
“I'm hopeful that a number of the lads that I want will be in place to start training with the group on Monday.
“Over the next few days I expect us to announce a couple of permanent signings and we'll be looking to get two or three in on loan, as we did so successfully last season with the likes of Richie Towell, Josh Emmanuel and Marek Rodak.
“There have been numerous phone calls and we had a meeting the day after our promotion party. I spent a couple of hours a day, every day, on my family holiday discussing targets with everybody and we could have perhaps announced a signing earlier in the week but one of the players has been on holiday and we need to get them in for a medical before we can do that.”
Whilst Warne is keen to strengthen his pack ahead of the 2018/19 Sky Bet Championship campaign, he was also quick to add that he will show faith in the majority of his promotion-winning squad from last season, who he hopes will continue to develop at AESSEAL New York Stadium.
“Obviously on the back of our success last year, we need to strengthen for this season. I've said before that I'll keep the majority of the squad together to have a go in the Championship,” he continued.
“I want the lads here and that are coming here to develop with the club and I want them to really fit in. The success last year was down to many things but the majority of it was down to getting the right players in and keeping the right players, which collectively meant they all played a massive part.
“I have to be prudent in bringing in people of a similar ilk because if not, all of our hard work could be wasted.
“I'm happy that we're bringing in the right sorts of lads at the right age and they'll bring something different to us.”