January window may be a pain but we are realists, says Westley

by Graham Westley

The January transfer window is a difficult time to be a lower league manager, especially at a club like Posh. Our squad has been carefully and expensively assembled, with the emphasis on buying young talent that can realistically be developed to play much higher.

Buying pace is one key factor in that equation.

It’s inevitable that bright talent is going to be sought after, especially once that talent begins playing winning football.

The trouble is the stars will inevitably leave your winning team. The upside is players will always want to join you.

I’ve had to get my head around losing key players several times this season already. Joe Gormley, Gabby Zakuani, Jermaine Anderson and Calum Elder have all gone under the surgeon’s knife and become long-term absentees. So, you get used to losing key assets. What you have to do is plan well, recruit well, develop well and generally be ready for players to depart your scene.

So, while I’d love to keep my entire squad together in this window, I would never deny a player the opportunity to move his career significantly forwards if our club’s reasonable requirements were met.

Allowing lads to move to the higher levels is what their fantastic efforts deserve.

You just have to have been pro-active in the meantime, to make sure that departures are seamlessly delivered.