Dean Smith rebuilds Walsall FC team

Boss Dean Smith today insisted he is ready to mould his own side - as the club revealed their contract offers.

The Saddlers chief wants to avoid another season of struggle in League One and build his team – 18 months after taking charge.

Emmanuel Ledesma, Manny Smith and Mat Sadler have been offered two-year deals while Darryl Westlake, Lee Beevers and David Grof offered the chance of one-year contracts.

The players must accept or reject the offers by June 19 and Smith said, come August, the team will be exclusively his.

He said: "Last year we were still left with a lot of players who were under contract for last season. Although there are a number of players I brought in there were a number of players already here. I think from the start of next season you can rightly say this is a team Dean Smith has assembled.

"I'm confident in my own ability, only time will tell but the recruitment is very important."

Record appearance holder Jimmy Walker is still in talks with the club about a player/coach role for next season with his deal expiring at the end of June.

The club say midfielder Adam Chambers is contracted for another season while young winger Jake Jones has been offered a six-month deal.

Ryan Jarvis has been officially released after his loan spell at Torquay ended when the Gulls lost 4-1 on aggregate to Cheltenham in the League Two play-off semi-final.

Richard Taundry and Alex Nicholls have verbal offers of one-year deals but officially go down on the club's released list.

They could join Jon Macken, Oliver Lancashire, Kevan Hurst, Anton Peterlin, Connor Deards and Jonny Haynes in leaving the Banks's Stadium.

The Saddlers finished 19th in League One after struggling all season and Smith insisted it was a learning curve.

He said: "I've really enjoyed it. It's frustrating at times because we're in a results-based industry and some of our performances did not get the results we deserved. On the flip side there were some poor performances.

"But it's a season-long campaign and we've worked really hard. If we couldn't achieve what we wanted to at the start then we get to give it another go next year.

"You're always learning. You see the pressures in modern day football management and I won't be taking a sabbatical like Pep Guardiola."