Good finish key for Saddlers' summer

Walsall manager Chris Hutchings has admitted the team need a perfect finish to attract his top transfer targets to the club this summer.

The Saddlers boss takes his troops to Leyton Orient tomorrow knowing a grandstand run-in will effect players' decisions during pre-season.

Work to target new recruits for next season has already begun but Hutchings knows the Saddlers' finish to the League One season is key.

He said: "You've got to sell yourself to potential players in this part of the season. If you lose the next 10 games people think 'they're struggling.'

"We'll have a list of goalkeepers, left-backs, right-backs and every position. We want to get 10 names for each position to work our way through.

"In the summer you phone people up and find out their thoughts, whether they've got any interest, would they be interested in us and then we can take it further."

But the boss believes there will be plenty of players out there in the summer and added the financial problems in football could benefit the club.

He said: "There are going to be a lot of players available. The rich pickings aren't there. Higher up they are but at this level they aren't. Players know this and will think 'if I'm going to have that and it's guaranteed I'll take it.'

"You have to weed through things and know who is going to be available. Now we're getting e-mails with people being released.

"It's mainly scholars but there are a lot of teams like ourselves who won't know the budget for next year yet, so we have to tread carefully."

The Saddlers sit 11th in League One, 15 points from the play-offs and 12 above the drop zone and Hutchings insists his current crop must perform to earn new deals.

He said: "Looking at the longer term, we have people with contracts coming up. There's always something to play for, no matter what situation.

"We've got to show the consistency which we haven't shown to try and get up there. That's what the challenge is to the players and everyone is fighting to be involved."

Meanwhile, the club are still waiting for Manny Smith to accept their fresh contract offer.