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Motherwell boss Stuart Kettlewell targets 'a minimum of three' new signings

Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell wants at least three new signings ahead of the new season; the Fir Park side have lost key players, including top scorer Kevin van Veen

By Alison Conroy & Gordon Duncan

Tuesday 25 July 2023 16:12, UK

Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell insists he needs "a minimum of three" more signings ahead of the new Scottish Premiership season.

The Motherwell manager has added three new players to his squad, with striker Jon Obika agreeing a one-year deal after impressing on loan last season.

Key departures including last season's star striker Kevin van Veen and midfielder Dean Cornelius have left big gaps in the Fir Park squad, while full-back Max Johnston is nearing a move to Austrian side Sturm Graz.

Kettlewell, who replaced Steven Hammell at Fir Park in February, is working hard to strengthen his side ahead of their league opener against Dundee on August 5.

"I think the minimum we need just now is another three, that would be the absolute minimum. Obviously, every manager will tell you that you're looking for a couple extra on top of that," he told Sky Sports News.

"Nobody wants to lose their best players but we know what the food chain looks like in football. Sometimes when these guys are performing the way they do and there are clubs with a lot more money than ourselves, then players move on.

"I always look at the positive side of it, they've moved on having performed really well and if they didn't, we would probably find ourselves in a different spot than where we are just now.

"My job is to try and replace them as best as we possibly can and to also get as much out of the players that are already here."

While some Motherwell players, including Ross Tierney and Robbie Mahon, have left the club on loan, Kettlewell is looking for others to step up and impress.

"Several players will have to move on to get that opportunity to get game time so we can then go and try and freshen things up and try to recruit around the kind of style and benchmarks that I'm looking for in the players," the former Ross County boss added.

"There are a number of guys who maybe didn't play as much as they would like, so we go back to them knowing we had some good players here who didn't play too much football.

"It's all positive and we just try and make sure that we find ourselves in a spot where we have guys that match up in the area of the park where we now find ourselves short."

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