Manager Matt Bloomfield sat down with the media this afternoon ahead of Friday night’s EFL season opener against AFC Wimbledon at Kenilworth Road.
After taking on board feedback from supporters we are pleased to announce that this, and all pre-match press conferences this season, will be available on LTFC+ freeview.
Matt looked ahead to the campaign kick-off and reflected on a summer in which no fewer than ten first team players have departed, the latest being Alfie Doughty who joined Millwall yesterday, with eight new signings arriving so far.
“It’s a blessing and a curse the amount of transfer movement that we’ve had,” said the Town boss. “It’s been a curse to lose some really good players, which has made it a really busy summer.
“But it’s been a blessing as well to be able to evolve into a group and start to move it to where we want to get it. It’s also been lovely to bring some energy, enthusiasm and freshness that those new players have brought, which has been fantastic.
“We’ve been so fortunate to bring in some solid seniors, bringing Kal (Naismith) in permanently, Nakhi (Wells), George Saville – these are real senior players who know what it’s about, they’ve got the T-shirt, they’ve been there, they’ve done it.
“Plus some of the younger players we’ve got, we are really excited about.
“If we can blend that group together as quickly as possible, if we can have a clear understanding of what we are trying to do in and out of possession, play with an energy, a freshness and enthusiasm, we are really hopeful we can have a fun time this season.”
Matt spoke about the search for new signings continuing, with confirmation of Doughty’s departure and Joe Johnson undergoing surgery today on his hamstring injury meaning a left-sided player will be a priority.
“We’ll be looking for a player to replace Alf, but ultimately as a football manager it’s tough to do so until you actually lose a player, because you never know whether a transfer is going to happen until it actually is done – there are so many things that need to happen,” Matt said.
“I thought Nigel was fantastic on Saturday against Tottenham Hotspur. Milli Alli has done it admirably for us at the end of last season, we had one of our best spells of form when Amari’i Bell was playing there and then Milli was used there as well, so we’ve got a couple of players who can fill in.
“But I would suggest that we would bring a left wing-back in to replace Alf because again, having that balance of a left footer and someone who can go and attack down that left side is something we want to do.”
Giving an update on squad fitness, Matt said: "I’ve just had some good news (on Teden Mengi). His ankle is stable, he’s just had a scan, it’s in a good spot. He’s still going to be out for a small period of time, but nowhere near the length that we feared at one point, so it’s real good news on Ted. It’s going to be weeks rather than months.
"Lamine (Fanne) is back on the grass, he’s got over his concussion so he’s available for Friday night, which is good. Mark McGuinness has just played the first half of an Under-21 game against Northampton that was only arranged yesterday to give him 45 minutes, which is great, because he’s been ill and lost a bit of weight, so he’s working his way back.
"Tom Holmes had 45 minutes, as did Lamine and Gideon (Kodua), but Joe Johnson has had an operation on his hamstring, so he’s going to be out for a few months which is really unfortunate for Joe, because I actually thought that Saturday at Gillingham and Tuesday at Southend were as good as I’ve seen him.
"It was as robust and defensive as I’ve seen him, so I really feel for Joe. He’s going to be out for three or four months, so it’s going to be a long recovery time."
