Clubs move for Town stars as Buckle reveals more targets

He remained adamant that there was no need to sell any of his stars, including electric striker Andre Gray, but admitted a number players could depart, both on loan and permanently.

He said: “The phone’s rung about two or three of our players yesterday. So there might be a few going out, which is positive as well because players need to be playing. The sooner the better on the players coming in.

“The sooner I can get the squad shaped now for the second half of the season the better.

“I don’t want this to drag on. I would like to get things sorted out quickly.

“We haven’t got a massive squad so there’s not going to be loads going out.

“But at the same time you’ve got to keep it healthy and I don’t want players in and around the building if they’re not going to play.

“It’s important for me and the integrity of the place that we get that bit right and do that quickly.

“Certainly not everyone will be leaving us. We’ve got a lot of young players and (Adam) Watkins comes into that bracket of still being a young player and still learning his trade.

“So there’s a few that will go out on loan and I’m sure we will have a few takers that would like to take players from us.

“We’ve got some good development players, we’ve got some good senior pros.

“This is what I’ve tried to do since I’ve come to the club, is shape it healthily and get the right balance.”

Gray has been in impressive form this season but Buckle is yet to have any enquiries and is under no pressure to sell.

He said: “Andre’s staying with us. We are in the middle of our season, we’ve got a lot riding on our season and being in all cups and at the right end of the league and Andre is going to stay.

“He’s still got a lot of learning to do as well so Andre’s going nowhere.

“The club have said to me he doesn’t have to go anywhere and that’s nice.

“I think the FA Cup helps, of course it does. To get into the third round and get the draw against Wolves, hopefully we will have near on a full house for that and it’s got to help.

“We haven’t even been thinking to try to get past Wolves, but all that money helps, the prize money and certainly the gate.

“We want our best players, we want to build around our best players.

“We’re trying to get out of a tough league, and when that happens you want to have your best players.

“And people like Andre, he’s a great age, we’ve got some really good young players, we’ve got some nice ones coming through the youth.

“And you saw with the good news of our record as a football of turning players in and around other Premier League clubs is phenomenal, we want to keep that trend going.

“Andre’s a joy to watch. I think anyone would pay money to come and watch Andre Gray because he’s exciting, he’s off the cuff at times, but the one thing he does is wants to go and score goals or make goals and that’s exciting for anyone.

“Yeah we have to coach Andre, there’s certain parts of his game that have got to improve, he knows that.

“But he’s such a young age, he’s a handful, he’s strong and powerful and with that I’ve got to tell you he works tirelessly on the training field.

“He’s always out after training, them sort of players are normally the ones that push on with their career.

“We encourage that from all the players, it’s not just the young players at the club that we want to see out in the mornings and the afternoons. It’s all of them.

“I thought the workrate from the front three/four was brilliant and when I watched the DVD back I could see all the good things they’ve done.”

He admitted wide man James Dance, who is still regaining match fitness after being out for almost a year with a potentially career-ending ankle injury, could go out on loan, but currently has a knock.

Buckle said: “Maybe, but James has got a knock at the moment. He went over his ankle in training and the conditions it’s difficult to train at the moment really properly.

“But James once he’s fit we’ll look at it. James is still a big part of the squad, and like I said he’s featured a lot quicker than people would have anticipated. Again, wait for him to be fit and once he’s up and running I’m sure there will be people who want to take him. If it’s right we’ll do it, and if it’s not he’ll stay.”

Neither has the recent signing of winger Scott Neilson from Crawley Town completely quelled their interest in Newport loan man Christian Jolley.

The AFC attacker has shone while on loan at the Exiles, and Buckle said: “I think if you look at the squad it leaves room for another one. I think it does leave room for another wide man and Jolley is someone that is more than capable of improving us and is more than capable of pushing us where we want to go. So no that doesn’t take away from us being interested in him.”

He also admitted his interest and admiration in fellow Grimsby loan men Ross Hannah and Nathan Pond.

Bradford City striker Hannah, 26, has scored nine times in 14 appearances while on loan at the Mariners, while Fleetwood Town centre-half Pond, 27, has also been mightily impressive netting four in 24 games.

He added: I think you saw the results change for Grimsby when he (Neilson) went there along with people like Pond who they took.

“Their results really did pick up when Pond went there and Neilson and even the boy Hannah.

“So it’s important. It’s important at any level to get the right players on loan.

“Sometimes it can be a gamble, but if you do your homework it can work. We feel that he’s right to come in and improve us.

“Hannah I actually had before, I took him with me whilst at Torquay.

“I had him down, we just couldn’t agree a fee at the time.

“I like Hannah, but I think we are OK in the centre forward position.

“I think they’ve (Fleetwood) taken Nathan back. We liked Pond from before, but I understand he’s going back to Fleetwood.”