Two busy windows should lead to a quieter summer at MK Dons

Following the volume of signings MK Dons have made over the last two transfer windows, Liam Sweeting believes the club is in a better spot heading into summer.

The sporting director was a busy man during the January sales, bringing in eight players while seeing 14 depart. It was a similarly busy summer window too, with 12 added and eight leaving. They also brought in free agent Scott Hogan in September.

Looking at Dons’ squad now, head coach Scott Lindsey said he thinks Dons are a window ahead of where they should be in terms of the his players on the books.

And Sweeting, the man tasked with getting the signings over the line, agrees with the coach and feels this summer should be a lot easier to manage.

“When I look at the players under contract for next year, it's the most we've ever had but also the best base we've had,” he said. “We'll be heading into the summer with work to do, but I don't think we'll have to do above the average. If we can get below or around the average, that would be good.

“For two summers, we've not been there. An average for a summer window is 11, 12 players. But when you consider we've got five loans, that's half of it straight away.

“There's always lower league turnover, but we've got a strong core now, with a lot of players who are on the journey with us for the right reasons.”

While their promotion chances look relatively out of reach at the moment, Sweeting confirmed that with three months still to go this season, the recruitment team are working on two separate plans of where they need to be looking some the summer window.

He continued: “The work we will do will hinge on the division we're in. We're currently working on a League One and a League Two scenario, and that's normal. As we get closer, it will get clearer.”