Daryl McMahon scotched suggestions that he disliked loan deals and said he was “really hopeful” of landing a permanent player in the coming week.
“I’m hoping this week we might add another player to the squad which I’m really hopeful about,” he told BBC Radio Kent’s Charles Webster. “It will give us another attacking option, which is good news to help the players in the run-in.”
McMahon is under no illusions that hopeful supporters will be hanging on his every word following the on-off saga of James Alabi’s reported move from Tranmere and accepts that sometimes he has to be careful of raising expectations.
He has been hopeful of landing new signings previously, with Fleet having missed out on two or three players by the skin of their teeth, and McMahon says that’s part and parcel of the transfer market. “[Those deals were all] realistic then as well,” he said. “Sometimes players go somewhere else. I’m just being honest, maybe I shouldn’t say it. We’ve got one or two ticking along that we hope to get done before Halifax. At least one, which we’re fairly confident on [as a permanent signing].”
And with recent accusations that the club isn’t keen on making loan signings, again McMahon was at pains to disagree. In addition to Louis John and Jake Howells who he brought in last season, McMahon also said, “We signed Darren McQueen on loan last year from Maldon & Tiptree. Hopefully that answers your question! If the right loan players are available [we will]. We tried to get [Brandon] Hanlan on loan from Charlton. He chose to go to Bromley because they’re higher in the table and because he’s been there before. I’ve been out to Charlton, Palace, West Ham, Tottenham. We’ve tried to get a player in from Tottenham but as well as that, some players want to go to the Football League. It’s just getting the right one. Loaning from other teams in this division is an option but again, if it’s not a player that will go into the team and be something totally different to what we’ve got, then what’s the point? It’s another body that might not be used and not really going to affect the 11. I don’t think that’s right.”
And reacting to news of rival clubs snapping up loan players in recent times, the Fleet boss said: “Maidstone have signed some good loan players. Lafayette’s a good player but is he better than Danny Kedwell? In my opinion no, and he’s a similar sort of player. Blair Turgott, another good player but I’ve got Myles Weston, Luke Coulson, Sean Shields, is he better than them? It’s just another body. The person that comes in has to get in the starting eleven or there’s no point.”
Listen to the interview below.
