Blackpool boss acknowledges players may be available for the right fee

The Seasiders are bracing themselves for interest in their players following the opening of the January transfer window on Tuesday.

Curtis Tilt, currently out through injury, is one player that is likely to be sought after having been the focus of much speculation during the summer.

Ipswich Town had bids rejected for the in-demand centre half, while Wigan Athletic also showed interest before the window closed back in August.

When asked if he expects the club to sell this month, McPhillips said: “It’s hard to say because I think everyone has their price.

“But it’s fair to say the club didn’t sell Tilty in the summer when they got good offers for him, so that won’t be down to me, that will be down to the club.

“We’ll react to whatever happens, but hopefully we can keep hold of our best players and bring one or two in.

“I’ve not heard anything yet, but it’s not been open long.

“There’s been a lot of scouts coming to the games, from big teams. We get a scout list every game and against Sunderland there were scouts from bigger teams in this country and some Scottish teams as well. We’ll just wait and see.”

McPhillips has already previously said Blackpool are unlikely to be doing much business, if any, during this month given the lack of cash available.

Unsurprisingly, any move will be a loan signing or free transfer and McPhillips says the club has its eyes on plenty of players.

“There are plenty of irons in the fire, so we’ll see what happens,” the Pool boss added.

“We’re trying. It’s not easy because all of these players have good teams chasing them.”

One man who has definitely signed this month is midfielder Callum Guy, whose loan move from Championship side Derby County became a permanent switch to Bloomfield Road yesterday.

When asked what is likely to be the bigger challenge this month, holding onto players or bringing new ones in, McPhillips coyly replied: “Bringing new bodies in, that’s hard because we haven’t got a lot of money to play with.

“We just react to whatever happens, we don’t know. It’s football, anything can happen.

“Armand Gnanduillet has done brilliantly, but a couple of his decisions let him down in the game against Sunderland.

“But he is a handful and you don’t want to be playing against him, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone comes in for him.”

The Seasiders now turn their attention away from league matters and towards the FA Cup, where they welcome Premier League giants Arsenal to Bloomfield Road on Saturday.

It will be the second clash of the season between the two sides, after Pool pushed the Gunners all the way in the Carabao Cup earlier in the season, eventually going down to a brave 2-1 defeat.

McPhillips is looking forward to the occasion, one that is likely to attract another big crowd after more than 10,000 spectators watched Pool’s New Year’s Day defeat to Sunderland.

The Pool boss said: “Again it’s going to be a decent crowd. Maybe not as big as the Sunderland one, but a decent one.

“We played them before so we sort of know what to expect. It’s going to be really tough for us, they’re a top team.

“But it’s a great occasion for us and the lads have done well and they’ve deserved it I think, the occasion, and I’m sure we’ll give a good account of ourselves.”