Motherwell boss 'close' to bringing in new faces, but unlikely to happen ahead of Hearts clash
Jens Berthel Askou says he's looking forward to welcoming new players
Motherwell boss Jens Berthel Askou says he’s close to bringing in further signings to bolster his squad, ahead of the transfer window closure.
But the Dane says he’s unlikely to be able to bring anybody in ahead of Saturday’s trip to face Hearts at Tynecastle.
Motherwell have moved in the last week or so to bring in striker Callum Hendry on a two-year deal from MK Dons, and forward Esapa Osong on loan from English Premier League side Nottingham Forest.
But Askou isn’t finished and said: “There are more things in the pipeline and when we can make it official is up to how fast we can finalise the last bits.
“But we were moving in on things and I look forward to getting the last faces in.
“[Bringing somebody in ahead of Saturday is] probably unlikely, because it takes a bit of time and also the paperwork and stuff, but let’s see.”
Meanwhile, Askou is getting players back, but is likely to lose midfielder Tom Sparrow for at least the next two games.
He said: “We got some players back. Liam Gordon is back in full training, ready to participate. Jordan McGhee is finally back as well in full training.
“Callum Slattery is back from suspension, ready to play. Johnny Koutroumbis won’t make it for the weekend, but we’ll assess him next week, and he’s on the pitch again doing his rehab, so we’ll see about next week, which is more likely.
“Tom picked up an injury against St Johnstone, and will most likely not be involved in the next two games.”
When asked about longer-term injured players like Sam Nicholson and Zach Robinson, Askou said: “They’re still a bit away from getting back. We try to involve them in the stuff we do, obviously they are around us doing their rehab, and are in all the meetings, and we try to give them extra information here and there.
“Our squad is fantastic in terms of keeping everyone part of all we do, all the fun stuff we do around the pitch.
“They smile every time I see them, even though it’s not the most fun part of being a footballer, they’re going through right now.
“We’re hopeful and optimistic that they will go through the rest of their recovery as well as they can, and we will see them eventually.
“Not next week, but they’re following the plan as they should.”