Frustration, rather than calm, before the transfer deadline day storm

With a little over a week to go before the transfer window closes, the frustrating wait continues for MK Dons head coach Graham Alexander.

Still without a new face in the building for almost three weeks since the arrival of Ash Hunter, and ‘two or three’ positions he is eager to fill in his squad, the clock is now ticking louder as the deadline approaches.

Things will come to a head on Friday September 1, with the 11pm deadline drawing ever closer, but while it seems as though nothing is happening, Alexander insists he and the recruitment team are still making moves behind the scenes ready for when the first dominos begin to fall.

“It’s frustrating,” he said. “It’s the same answers I have to give you. We’re trying our hardest.“You think you make progress one day, then it plateaus the next.

“There will become a point next week when people have to start making decisions. So we’re staying in the race at the moment, dancing away to stay relevant in agents’ and players’ minds so hopefully we get the right players we feel can improve us.”

It has been clear in his mind for several weeks the areas in which he wants to bolster before the end of the month, but he admitted the start of the season and the looming deadline often forces clubs, players and indeed head coaches too into changing their minds at the last minute about potential deals and moves – something he feels could help Dons if a surprise options becomes available to them in the closing stages of the window.

He said: “Sometimes the start of the season clarifies in a players’ mind a need to move or to stay. And it’s the same for us too - we’re learning each week about the group, about how they meet and react to each challenge, how they react to losing, everything. It always adjusts your mind about what you potentially need.

“We know what we need but we’ve got open minds if a good player were to become available and what he could do to improve us. We’re still quite clear on two or three positions where we know exactly what we need.”

In terms of potential outgoings though, he added: “You could potentially lose players too, and there are players in our squad others would like to sign. We have to be aware of that as well, but we’re not actively looking to do that to be honest.”