Alan Hardy: 'New signing should be announced by Monday'

Alan Hardy has claimed that Notts County may be in a position to announce their third signing of the summer on Monday, a defender.

The Magpies owner had previously announced on Twitter that a player was to have a medical on Friday, but no news as to the signing came through by the end of the day.

Hardy has however reassured fans that the signing is still very likely to go ahead, and also addressed worries about the club's seemingly slow pace in the transfer market.

In his weekly Nottingham Post column, he wrote: "Over the last week or so, I have been consistently asked about new signings and where we are in terms of building our squad for next season.

"A player had a medical on Friday and all being well, we should be in a position to announce our third signing sooner rather than later.

"We hope it will be Monday when the contracts are signed, but he has already trained with the squad and he is a defender who adds more strength to the back-four.

"What we are trying to do is make the back-four very agile and if we get the players in from the clubs we are negotiating with, then we should have one of the most agile back-fours in the league.

"Pace is going to be absolutely critical so with the wide men we have in Lewis Alessandra and Terry Hawkridge, we want quick full-backs to complement them.

"If we are successful in landing these targets then I will be delighted, but there is going to be some negotiating to be done.

"While a couple of players are free transfers, others are going to require a fee.

"We have started negotiations with two clubs and we are hoping to conclude those deals in the middle of next week.

"I know there is a demand for news and signings, which I understand, being a fan myself.

"But patience is absolutely paramount. Some of these players want to leave the clubs they are at, but they won't get released until replacements have been found.

"I can understand why the fans have become frustrated in some respects especially when they see Mansfield Town making their 13th signing earlier in the week.

"But we have our targets and we are still chasing them. Yes, we could take whoever is available, but we want to hold out for the people we want."

To read the column in full on the Nottingham Post, click here.

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