“We hope before the next league game”: Shrimps camp optimistic deals can be done
Ashvir Singh Johal is optimistic of adding to his Morecambe squad by the end of the week – but won’t sign players for the sake of it.
The Shrimps hope to start their 2026 fixture programme with Tuesday’s rearranged FA Trophy tie at Kidderminster Harriers before Scunthorpe United visit the Mazuma Mobile Stadium on Saturday.
They do so after seeing the departures of loanees Maldini Kacurri and Elijah Dixon-Bonner, leaving gaps to be filled in a squad looking to escape the National League relegation zone.
Speaking before last weekend’s postponement, Johal told BBC Radio Lancashire: “We hope before the next league game, we think it will be a little bit too soon this Saturday.
“We’re just waiting on clubs to get their incomings in before the players that we’ve spoken about are able to come in.
“We’ve got some clear targets, we’ve got some things agreed in principle with clubs, but it just depends on the business incoming for those to become outgoings and come to us.
“We’re hopeful some of those will be done before the Scunthorpe game and then some in the weeks after that, but we’re making progress.
“We identified the areas we need to improve in, the positions that will make a difference for us; now it’s just about executing the deals.”
Having put together a squad at high speed over the summer after Panjab Warriors’ buyout, Johal says patience is now key for January signings given the transfer window in which clubs higher up the pyramid operate.
He added: “We’re clear on what profile of players we want, we’re clear on what type of player we want, so it’s for us to be patient.
“What we can’t do is rush and get the wrong player in or just think we have to get someone in, so it’s important that we make the right decisions.
“This January window for the EFL teams, there’s a lot of factors that determine when we get the players and one of those is when they get players in unless we operate in the free agent market.
“I think, in the next seven days, we should get a couple. Towards the end of the month, we’ll finish our business but we’ve got some targets that we think we’re well down the line with.”