Player deals as vital as manager hunt for Caley Thistle

CALEY Thistle are in a race against time to get a playing squad in place for next season alongside its hunt for a new manager.

The summer transfer window opens on June 9, so ICT chief Kenny Cameron and the board want to secure their key players, both already at the Ladbrokes Premiership club or identified from elsewhere, before they are free to be snapped up elsewhere.

ICT, who took the number of senior players to 13 with the re-signing of defender David Raven on Tuesday night, are working behind the scenes to appoint a new boss following the departure of John Hughes on Friday.

This week has seen goalkeeper Dean Brill leave the Highland club after not being offered a new contract, but Wales international Owain Fon Williams agree a deal until 2019 (see page 78).

Fans are desperate to see whether hot favourite, captain Richie Foran will be handed the top job perhaps alongside an experienced assistant such as Maurice Malpas or Donald Park, both who have been number twos at the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium.

Caley Thistle are calling on fans to stay patient while it works to reshape the squad and management ahead of their mid-July Betfred Cup competitive start.

A club statement said: "The directors are conscious of the fact that fans will be eager for an update on the managerial situation following the departure of John Hughes.

"You can be assured that your board are working its way through the options available to us and we are confident of appointing a new manager of the calibre we require to continue the steady progress we have made since first joining the leagues.

"We have offers out to various players both existing and new and we are keen to secure these players before the transfer window opens. We hope to have some further information for you shortly in this regard, but again we ask for your patience on this front as these things do take time to finalise."

*** Full story in today's Highland News.

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