Airdrie boss fears player being lost in massive summer for Scottish clubs

Airdrie boss Ian Murray says this summer is going to be massive for every club in Scottish football, but worries that players will be lost to the game because of the sheer volume that is available.

Murray says the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) list is "humongous" this summer, and competition will be fierce amongst clubs for the best players available, but that Airdrie will recruit sensibly, like they have in previous years.

He said: "This summer is going to be huge. It's going to be huge for every club, in terms of what has happened in the previous couple of seasons with finances and schedules, injuries, pandemics, all the rest of it.

"Sometimes it has been forgotten for clubs, that it's not just a case of these guys going out and playing all these games - there is a lot going on behind the scenes at every club.

"We must all get it right, we're no different, and it's a huge one because there isn't much room for error.

Murray is pleased to have signed attacking midfielder Scott Agnew as player/assistant manager (SNS Group)

"We're very happy with what we've done so far, in terms of the players that we have retained and that we've signed Scott Agnew, which is a great one for us.

"We've had to let some good quality players go - but that's football, we need to keep the cycle going every season because, if we don't, we're going to end up where we were, and we want to improve."

Murray added: "Like every manager we've got lists, and that's what they are, they are long lists, because there are that many players going about due to the circumstances.

"The PFA list is humongous at the moment. It's a real worry, actually, because I think there will be a lot of players lost in the next couple of years, and that's unfortunate.

"Suddenly the power has probably shifted a little bit to clubs, because we're all in the same boat.

"But we do have a list, and we think we can add quality players, within our budget constraints, and we'll do it wisely like we have for the last three years."

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