Grezza: More could follow McManus

Town opened their summer transfer account last week with the capture of Scottish Under-21 international Declan McManus.

And more young talent could be set to follow the 20-year-old, who scored 23 goals for Greenock Morton last season and was named Scottish Division One player of the season.

Alexander refused to name names but insists the club are close to agreeing deals with a number of summer targets.

He said: “It’s hard to give details but we are making inroads into the recruitment process. We’ve spoken to a few players now who we’d identified through the season.”

“We’ll hopefully be confirming them in the near future.”

And the Fleetwood boss is confident his captures will add quality to Town’s squad,which is light on numbers following the release of 14 professionals earlier this month.

Town have made no secret of their desire to recruit young, unproven, rising stars rather than ready-made talent. But Alexander believes those players Town are working to secure for next season are ready to blossom.

He said: “With all the hard work that’s gone into finding these players, we hope they will add quality to the squad.

“They are at a good stage of their careers to fulfil the potential they have shown. We’re looking forward to getting them onboard but it’s now just a case of getting them over the line. It’s sometimes a delicate situation but we hope that we can secure the players we have worked so hard to identify.”

One of those who could be joining Alexander at Highbury is former Birmingham City defender Amari’i Bell.

The 21-year-old, who spent spells on loan with Swindon and Gillingham last season, has been released by the St Andrew’s club and is strongly linked with a move to Fleetwood.

Town are also moving on with the process of recruiting a youth coach following the announcement that Craig Madden and Mark Bowley will leave at the end of this month.

Town are looking to recruit a man with a UEFA ‘A’ licence and extensive contacts in the game.