Stags hoping on new face tomorrow

Mansfield Town hope they might bring in another new player as early as tomorrow '“ and that could rise to three by the weekend.
Mansfield Town Manager Steve Evans with assistant Paul Raynor behind.
Picture by Dan Westwell.Mansfield Town Manager Steve Evans with assistant Paul Raynor behind.
Picture by Dan Westwell.
Mansfield Town Manager Steve Evans with assistant Paul Raynor behind. Picture by Dan Westwell.

Boss Steve Evans also confirmed today that he almost signed Blackpool forward Jack Redshaw late last week – a deal that is not yet dead.

Evans, who has now brought in five new faces this month, said: “I’ve not been off the phone since Saturday evening. I’m quite a sad individual.

“On Saturday evenings when people are enjoying time with their family, my family just have to put up with the fact that I am on the phone, texting and ringing.

“But hopefully we will have some joy by the morning.

“We are literally waiting on three clubs getting back to us.

“There is one loan and possibly two permanents or two loans and a permanent. One of the loans could became a permanent. We are trying all the options.

“The nice thing is we are starting to be able to get players in that, dare I say it, perhaps wouldn’t have come here in the early part of the season.”

On a possible deal with Blackpool for 26-year-old Redshaw, he said: “We tried to do something with Jack last week.

“They tried to do something with one of ours and it was near to being done, but never got across the line.

“There were different conversations about Jack, one was a permanent, one was a loan and was a loan with a view.

“It didn’t work out because there was another deal with someone else perhaps going in the direction of Blackpool and we couldn’t get it done.

“But we were really up against the timeline. We were ready late morning on Friday and the chances are that if Jack had joined us then he would have been sat up in the stand watching it anyway.

“We like, as a minimum, two or three (training) sessions unless for team reasons we need to put someone in like we did with Hayden White on Saturday.

“It’s not dead. But we have not not revisited that this morning. We are trying to sort a number of players in different positions, not just in the front area of the pitch.”

He added: “We have four good strikers though my good friend Neil Warnock I think had 10 at Sheffield United. I think John Radford may say you’re not getting 10, I might get five or six of them!

“There’s nothing in every area of the pitch that makes players step up their quality of performance than competition for places – much better than a manager screaming on a training ground.

“I will always pick the team honestly, no matter if I cuddle you on a Saturday and you score me a last minute winner. If you deserve to be on the bench next game you’re on the bench.”