Richie Foran seeks new recruits as Caley Thistle prepare for life without Tansey and Meekings
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RICHIE Foran is eyeing up replacements for Josh Meekings and Greg Tansey – should the pair leave Caley Thistle at the end of the season.
Foran revealed yesterday that as well as Tansey indicating he is not looking to discuss a new contract at this time, Meekings would be doing the same.
A two-year deal is on the table for Meekings but Caley Jags boss Foran will not be hounding Meekings into a decision over his future.
He told the Inverness Courier earlier this week that he was hopeful of a positive resolution on Meekings’s extension.
However, following discussions with the player and his agent, that does not look likely for the time being.
He now faces the same challenge managers before him have – identifying replacements for the club’s key assets.
“He doesn’t want to speak again until the new year, so I don’t want to be pulling Josh in every week. I want him to concentrate on his football and we’ll speak in January.
“I obviously spoke to Josh and Greg and asked them to concentrate on Inverness – and they have been. What will be will be,” said Foran.
“Others, like Gary Warren and Ross Draper, lay their roots down here on longer contracts.
“Obviously you’d love to tie most of them up on longer contracts.
“But a lot of these players want to go back down to England and play at the highest level possible and that’s understandable. A lot of my lads would want to go to the Championship and are good enough to go to there as well. At this moment in time, they are all just concentrating on Inverness. Come January, what will be will be.
“But this is when we start now, looking for replacements for next season – and we have started that process already.”
He admits it is somewhat of a back-handed compliment that this weekend’s opposition, Aberdeen, seem to lure a number of Caley Thistle players along the A96.
Miles Storey was the latest player to swap Inverness for Aberdeen, with Jonny Hayes, Adam Rooney and Graeme Shinnie also in the reds’ ranks. Tansey was the subject of interest from Aberdeen during the January transfer window.
“I spoke to the chairman about this – I take it as a compliment. If people want to contact the club about buying our players, we’re obviously doing something right,” added Foran. “That’s the whole club, not just the manager and players doing something right. It’s the staff and team-mates helping them improve as well.”
Meanwhile, Caley Thistle midfielder Liam Polworth accepts his chances of a recall to the Scotland under-21 squad are slim.
Polworth made his debut for the under-21s against Northern Ireland in March but was dropped for the recent European Championship qualifiers against Macedonia and Ukraine.
He accepts that even with a new manager in the shape of Scott Gemmill in charge, his opportunities to add to his cap will be limited.
“It was something at the end of last season that was quite nice. I don’t know if you could say I was disappointed, but if someone doesn’t want you in their squad then it’s just one of them things,” said Polworth.
“It could be me not playing as well as last season – but I don’t let it get to me.
“They’ve only got a couple of games left in the group so they’ll be looking to be play the younger players, those that can be involved in the next campaign.”
THE Inverness Courier has teamed up with Caley Thistle’s main sponsors McEwan Fraser Legal Solicitors & Estate Agents to offer you the chance to snap up a pair of tickets for every home Premiership game this season.
For a chance to win two home tickets to ICT v Celtic on September 18, simply email the answer to the following question to sports@inverness-courier.co.uk
What was the score the last time Celtic visited the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium?
Entries should reach us by 5pm on Monday.
McEwan Fraser Legal are proud main sponsors of Caley Thistle for 2016-2018. Get involved on Twitter via @ICTFC_MFL using #MFLFootball.
