Walsall boss tracks former loanees

Walsall manager Dean Smith has confirmed he is trailing former loanees Marco Gbarssin and Marc Laird.

The Saddlers boss is eyeing the pair, who spent successful spells at the Banks's last season, after they were released by Carlisle and Millwall respectively.

Smith want to seal quick deals this summer and has targeted the midfield duo as the perfect men to beef up his engine room.

They are among a host of targets but Smith wants to talk to see if he can tempt them back to the Banks's Stadium.

He said: "I have an interest in Marco and I'll be touching base with him. If we can agree something then he might be back.

"He did well, he'd not played a lot of football when he arrived but he came in and did a job for us when we needed it. He came on and solidified us.

"If he gets a good pre-season under his belt he'll certainly gain a lot more mobility and be a more influential player."

Laird could also be primed for a comeback, with Smith keen on the 25-year-old who made eight appearances at the end of last season.

He said: "He would be of interest, I know he's talked to a couple of clubs already and he's another whose agent I have chasing me up and it's bubbling along.

"I'm doing exactly the same as other managers and have a few on the go."

The manager has yet to speak to Gbarssin, who made nine appearances for the Saddlers, as he has been called up by the Central African Republic.

The 26-year-old is in the squad for Saturday's friendly in Tunisia and a clash with Tanzania in Bangui, the CAR capital, on June 4.

Smith said: "He's gone back over to France now and has been called up for the Central African Republic.

"He's French but he's African-French and I've had some faxes through but it was all in French so I didn't understand it!"

The Saddlers boss wants to build a squad capable of mounting a play-off challenge and erase the memories of last season's struggle, where they beat the League One drop by a point.

But Smith has not spoken to Martin Devaney, after the winger revealed last week he would be keen on a potential return following his loan spell last season.