'˜Wait will be worthwhile' says boss Edinburgh as he continues Cobblers recruitment drive

Justin Edinburgh has told Cobblers fans the wait will be worthwhile once the players the club are trying to attract to Sixfields are revealed and start to put pen to paper.
Cobblers boss Justin EdinburghCobblers boss Justin Edinburgh
Cobblers boss Justin Edinburgh

The Town boss admits that he has been frustrated during a ‘very slow’ summer, and that trying to get deals done has left him banging his head against a brick wall at times, but he is confident he will still land his top targets.

The season is a little over a month away, with the Cobblers playing their opening pre-season friendly at Sileby Rangers on Saturday, but Edinburgh says he will remain ‘patient, calm and positive’ to ensure he assembles the squad he wants.

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And he also revealed the announcement of extra investment last week from Chinese company 5USport has led a slight change in policy, with players that were out of reach before, now on the radar.

“My belief is that we are chasing players that will feel they are Championship players, or the top end of league one,” said the Cobblers boss, who has made seven signings so far this summer.

“That is what we are trying to attract now, and it could be we are going to have to be a little more patient, and work a little bit harder

“Once we do get those new signings and acquisitions in, then I think everybody will see that the wait was worthwhile.”

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“We are working tirelessly, and as I say every time I stand in front of you guys, if it was that simple then every club would have had their squad in place by now, and have no worries.

“But it is one of those difficult times. We are trying to attract players here that will enhance us, and take the squad to another level and we are having to be patient in our pursuit of that.

“But I can assure the fans that we are working hard to bring not only defenders, but other players to the squad as well, because we are not the finished article as yet, and we are not at the amount of numbers required to be sitting comfortably.

“But the work is going on, and I can assure the fans there will be additions as we go along, and hopefully in the next week or two.”

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Referring to whether targets had altered in the past couple of weeks following 5USport’s investment, Edinburgh added: “One or two things have changed, and we have looked at different personnel because the investment has enabled us to do that.

“One or two things have changed, so hopefully that will come to fruition, but it could be today, could be tomorrow, or it could be another two weeks, but it has changed things slightly.”

The latest player to sign on at Sixfields was Iraq international midfielder Yaser Kasim on Tuesday, and the manager is still hopefull more players can be brought in ahead of the trip to Fernie Fields this weekend, and then next week’s training camp in Spain.

The club still only has one central defender signed in Leon Barnett and Edinburgh is very keen to bolster that department, but he says it has been a tough summer of trying to ensure the right players are brought to the club.

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“For whatever reason, this summer I have found very slow and tiresome sometimes,” said the Cobblers boss.

“You feel like you are banging your head against a brick wall and losing the will to live at times, but you have to keep doing it.

“With what we have here, there is no doubt we have strengthened and improved, and I think with what we are trying to bring here that will only continue.

“Patience is key, as is remaining calm and staying positive.”