Ian Evatt outlines timeframe of when Blackpool could act in the January transfer window
Blackpool will be looking to do their fair share of business in the January transfer window.
The January transfer window is open - and it will offer Ian Evatt his first opportunity to shape the Blackpool squad.
Since taking over at the end of October, the Seasiders head coach has implemented a wing-back system.
With former boss Steve Bruce previously utilising a 4-4-2 formation, the change under Evatt has seen a number of players adapt to new roles.
Injuries have hit Blackpool throughout the campaign so far, and this could be one of the factors that prompts the club to make several moves in the window - which is open until February 2.
Fraser Horsfall became the latest addition to the current list of absentees, with the centre back set to be out for a minimum of eight weeks due to a hamstring problem.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the pitch, Dale Taylor has also been hit with a lengthy lay off in the last few weeks.
The recent blows resulted in three youth players being named on the Seasiders bench in Sunday’s 2-1 defeat to Bradford City, with first-team options being in short supply.
When Blackpool’s business could get underway
Evatt admits it’s important for Blackpool to quickly get business done to enhance their squad, but states there’s nothing imminent at the moment.
“There’s nothing at the moment,” he said.
“The injuries are really hard and frustrating. I don’t think we’ve had the rub of the green with them, but a lot of them are muscular, so we’re trying to find out why - there’s got to be some reason behind.
“Either we need the players to be more robust or something is happening in training - we’ll leave no stone unturned to find out the reasons why.
“This is a small squad to start with, with everyone fit and available, so when you do get injuries, you do feel the impact of it.
“There’s no coincidence between the correlation of really good results and everyone being available, and when we’re down to the bare bones again, how tough it becomes.
“We need to recruit, and we need to do it quickly. We’re not going to sign anyone for the sake of it, when we sign players, we want them to be difference-makers for us, we want them to make us better - that’s our aim and ambition.
“You want to leave every transfer window better than when you started it. I’m confident that by the end of January, we’ll be a better squad than what we started with.
“We’ve done well to get out of the mess we’re in, but we can’t take that for granted because we’ve seen how quickly things can change in this league.”
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