The latest on Rotherham United and their centre-back pursuit
ROTHERHAM United hope they are closing in on the capture of a new centre-half after missing out on two targets earlier in this month's transfer window.
Strikers remain Matt Hamshaw's priority but the boss also wants to strengthen his backline after sending back loanee Thomas Holmes to parent club Luton Town.
The League One Millers have held encouraging talks with a player from a higher division and are optimistic that he will choose to join them.
”I've had a couple, I've lost a couple,” said Hamshaw as he revealed the activity behind the scenes during the January recruitment push for a defender.
Rotherham thought they had a deal wrapped up more than a week ago only to see the potential incoming opt for a different club at the last minute.
Hamshaw believes chairman Tony Stewart will back him before the February 2 close of business and is also looking to reinforce other areas of his squad.
He said after yesterday's 3-2 loss at Stockport County: “I've lost a few players this week, and that's been tough to take. But it is what it is.
“We have to move on to the next one, the next one and the next one. And I can assure everybody that that is what I'm doing.
“We need to do more business. We need quality players, we need players who are going to make an impact, we need players who want to be at this club. I'm hopeful we can get them.”
He stressed again that he would like to see some of the men whom he inherited on his March appointment leave the club as he seeks to revive the club's fortunes following a seven-match third-tier losing streak.
The boss reckons a number of players from previous regimes can't be relied upon as much as his summer signings can, and he knows that he will have more money to work with if he can remove them - or partly remove them - from the wage bill with permanent or loan exits.
“The effort, the commitment, the desire, the work should be there. And it hasn't been previously,” he said.
“It's been difficult because I've had to rely on some players who probably do need to move out of here. That's the truth. I think they've come to the end of their Rotherham United phase. We need those funds to reinvest in the team.”