NEWPORT County boss Dean Holdsworth has revealed that tomorrow is likely to be D-Day in terms of which players are to be retained by the club.
The champions yesterday announced that midfielder Nathan Davies and defender Martyn Giles are surplus to requirements, with a plethora of first team men staying on including Glyn Thompson, Paul Bignot, Chris Todd, Gary Warren, Wayne Turk, Scott Rogers, Danny Rose, Sam Foley, Keiron Blackburn and Craig Reid.
Winger Takumi Ake is returning to the club for pre-season training, meaning uncertainty now surrounds just four players.
Those men, defender Paul Cochlin, striker Dave Gilroy and midfielders Jamie Collins and Charlie Henry, are all in various stages of negotiations with the club.
Collins and Henry are meeting with boss Holdsworth tomorrow, the boss hoping to tie down both players.
However, the Argus understands that a rival Blue Square South club is targeting Henry.
The situation with Cochlin and Gilroy is more complicated. Both have held preliminary talks with the Exiles, but the club and the players are apart on the possible terms for new one-year deals.
As reported yesterday, Cochlin in particular is attracting several new suitors and it’s also unlikely Gilroy would find too much trouble in attracting a new club.
“I would hope that by Friday, things will be a lot clearer with all four of them,” Holdsworth said.
“Ideally, they will all be here next season.
“But this isn’t like other years where it’s been simple in signing people who have done well for us.
“The structure of the club is evolving with us going up and the demands on the players, in terms of training and games, will be greater.
“We are in constant dialogue with the guys and the fans will hopefully trust in the decisions we make.”
The Exiles are also poised to start bringing in new faces in the coming days and weeks.
“There are so many players who want to come here it’s unbelievable,” Holdsworth said.
“I have a list of names that is absolutely massive and once we have seen what is going to happen with the four players, then we will begin trying to bring in our top targets.”
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