Jon Whitney wants permanent Walsall signings instead of loans

The Saddlers manager, who signed left-back Luke Leahy on a two-year deal last week, is confident of announcing the permanent arrivals of a new goalkeeper and centre-half within the next 48 hours.

Whitney bolstered his squad with six loan additions in the 2016/17 campaign.

But the boss wants the majority of the players he signs this summer to be committed to the club for the long term.

“I am going to vastly reduce my loans this year,” Whitney said.

“That is really important for me.

“It is important I have players for the long term. That gives us the chance to get some stability and add longevity to the team.

“When I signed a three-year contract to become manager last year I always knew it was going to take 12 to 18 months to really build my team.

“Luke signed a permanent. The centre-half and goalkeeper are permanent additions.

“We have got two more possible permanent arrivals after that and then maybe one loan player. It will definitely be fewer loans than last season.”

Alongside ability, Whitney says it’s vital he finds players who will fit in with the Saddlers work ethic.

“We want to sign players who are coachable,” he continued.

“That is the type of character we want – they have got to have a really good work ethic.

“They have got to be players that will improve us and players that we can improve in the environment we offer.

“We have got the likes of Joe Edwards, James O’Connor, Adam Chambers, Flo Cuvelier, Erhun Oztumer, Kieron Morris, Ama Bakayoko.

“We have got that really good nucleus but we are adding permanent signings to make sure we move forward.”

Meanwhile, Whitney has given his response to Walsall’s fixtures being released with the Saddlers opening the campaign at Bury on August 5.

It’s a chance for us to kick on and compete against some big teams this year,” Whitney said.

“We’ll look forward to our opening day against Bury and the 45 games from there.

“We’ve got some great clubs to play against - Blackburn have come down, Rotherham is a great stadium to go to for the fans as is Ewood Park.

“Portsmouth and Plymouth will be two big games. There are some mouthwatering ties for us.

“For the fans, hopefully we can give them some really good games next year and we will make sure that we fight for every point.”