St Mirren boss Jim Goodwin has warned clubs chasing star playmaker Jamie McGrath they’ll miss out on his signature if they don’t start putting “serious” money on the table.
The Buddies have already knocked back a number of bids for the midfielder they feel don’t match their valuation of the impressive Ireland international.
The Paisley side lost captain Kyle Magennis during a transfer deadline raid by Hibs manager Jack Ross last season, and Goodwin is adamant he won’t be left without a chance to find a suitable replacement this time around.
St Mirren gaffer Goodwin explained: “There haven’t been any fresh bids come in over the weekend, but it’s still very early days.
“Things are really hotting up down in England now and you’ll probably see more business being done this week and into the following week.
“We’re in a comfortable position with Jamie at the moment. The dialogue is there between me and him, we’ve very transparent in terms of what’s happening.
“He isn’t kicking my door down in to ask for a move and he’s in a situation himself with his representatives, moving from one agency to another which all takes time.
“One thing I will say to anyone out there who is showing an interest is that if we start going into the latter stages of the window, going into the last week, then there’s no point coming in with a bid at that point.
“That won’t give me enough time to find a replacement. So if there are teams who are serious about it then they need to put a serious offer on the table. Then we’ll do what we can.
“But at this moment in time Jamie is very much a part of our squad.”
Ahead of Saints’ Premier Sports Cup trip to play Stenhousemuir tonight, Goodwin also addressed rumours of St Johnstone’s interest in academy graduate Kyle McAllister.
The Buddies manager wants to keep the attacking midfielder in Paisley, but admits he won’t stand in any player’s way if they fear they won’t get enough game time at the SMiSA Stadium this season.
Goodwin said: “I don’t know how that made its way out to the press last week.
“Kyle has got a year left on his contract here. We are playing a system now that, being honest, I didn’t bring Kyle in to play.
“We’re playing a back three with wing backs, but Kyle is still a big player for us. He had the most assists of any player for us last year.
“It was probably Kyle’s most successful season in terms of his fitness and availability. He’s always had little niggles and injuries.
“He’s lost a lot of weight and he was available for 95 per cent of the games last season which he probably hasn’t done since he was a 16-year-old.
“There’s interest in our squad which shows we’re doing something right. If there are bids that come in that meet our valuation then we’re not in the habit of standing in young players’ way to progressing their own careers.”
St Mirren have the chance to all but guarantee their progression to the knockout stage of the Premier Sports Cup with a win at Ochilview Park tonight.
Goodwin added: “We’ve been trying to rotate the squad as much as we can. Hopefully come the Dundee game we’ve still got a fully fit, healthy squad to pick from.
“That’s always the main aim of any pre-season. These are competitive games but if things go according to plan against Stenny then we’ll be able to make the necessary changes around the hour mark.
“A win pretty much guarantees one of the top two spots, but we need to be clinical and make sure we get the job done.”
