The Saints are back in action in the televised fixture tonight against Ayr United, before what could be another busy month at McDiarmid Park.
St Johnstone owner Adam Webb has been discussing the January approach for the club(Image: SNS Group)
BY FRASER MACKIE
Adam Webb says St Johnstone will take a highly selective approach to strengthening the squad for the remainder of the season.
The Saints owner is set to sanction signings next month to keep Simo Valakari’s promotion bid on track.
However, this will certainly be the quietest transfer window of Webb’s chairmanship.
Saints will focus on specific upgrades in positions Valakari believes must be addressed to keep the team in title contention.
Each of the previous three featured significant player turnover.
Craig Levein’s rebuild of summer 2024 was in full swing as Webb’s takeover was confirmed.
Valakari then signed 10 players in his failed fight to stave off relegation.
And he oversaw more sweeping changes in the close season to prepare for the Scottish second tier.
Bulk buying is not necessary now, stressed Webb, who insisted focus was on funding key adjustments.
“I believe some business in January is a good idea,” said Webb.
“Probably not as much as the previous windows since I have been involved.
“But some very important business nonetheless.
“The summer when I got here, there was a lot of activity.
“Frankly, we signed too many players. Then, last January, there were a lot.
“This summer again – a tremendous number of signings.
“I don’t see this January being as busy as those windows but we are looking for a few great players to add to the mix.
“And we also need to arrange for some of our players to move to clubs where they can play on a weekly basis.
“If Simo needs something, we’re going to try to get it for him.”
Bozo Mikulic and Louis Lloyd are on the cusp of returns to first team action following long-term injury.
Stevie Mallan is back in business after three months out.
Webb regards their comebacks as critical to bolstering the strength of an already deep player pool.
The Atlanta-based lawyer said: “We have three guys who have recently returned to fitness or should be back by January.
“Bozo, Louis, Stevie are really fantastic players.
“You’re adding them to what is already a good squad where, every week, you wrestle with who is sitting on the bench and who might not even be on the bench.
“We have real competition for spots, which is a good thing to have.
“We have too many players on our squad currently.
“Our goal is always no more than 25 players, and preferably 24.
“So we have some players to loan out or sell on.
“But we also have needs. So we are on the hunt for players that can fill the gaps that we have in the squad.
“In January, we should do some business in and out.
“To be clear, I won’t be making these decisions.
“Simo and Gus (MacPherson) and our other football guys know infinitely more than I do about the game.”
