Walsall manager Jon Whitney has admitted that he is still keen to retain the services of the soon-to-be former Saddlers loanees Dan Agyei, Zeli Ismail and Shaun Donnellan, all of whom will be returning to their parent clubs in the New Year.
The manager, who recently celebrated his 47th birthday, also insisted that he and his backroom team are working hard to add to the squad in January, but can't control the decisions of others and will have to wait and see as the window goes on.
Jon, speaking via the Express & Star, said; "I have been in talks with players for the last six weeks - I’m still in talks and I’m making lots of phone calls. But unfortunately things aren’t just up to me. It’s not always my decision. There are lots of variables and lots of external influences.
"I think at this club and at many others, deals will be done late in the day. Teams often want to get one in before they let another player go out. It’s the old merry-go-round. It will start very soon and we have to make sure we are in the mix.
"We have got a few things in the pipeline but they are just words at the moment and we’re going to see what happens in the coming weeks. But I’m excited about the changes. I’m sure there will be a few in the window."