Motherwell boss Steven Hammell says there’s still a possibility that defender Matt Penney will return on loan from Ipswich Town, but he’s looking elsewhere for a contingency plan.
The 24-year-old returned to Portman Road on Sunday, following the expiration of his six-month loan from the League One club, and Tweeted a message during the week that looked very much like a ‘goodbye’.
But Hammell says the process to bring players in remains constant, and he’s in talks with players.
One that he declined to confirm was Japanese attacking midfielder Riku Danzaki, but a deal to sign the player in principle has been agreed.
The Fir Park club have worked hard to extricate him from both his commitments at Consadole Sapporo and Brisbane Road, where he has been on loan.
That could take a number of weeks to finalise before he’s at Fir Park, but fans are likely to see him in claret and amber.
Penney Tweeted yesterday: “Thank you to everyone at the club! The groundsmen, the coaching staff, the backroom staff, the players, the manager and of course the fans!
“You’ve all been unbelievable with me and I wish the club all the best in the future.”
Hammell said: “I think there will be some stuff to confirm out today, regarding Matt.
“There will be a bit of interest in him, we’ve been in contact with him.
“He has been great, I get on fantastic with him, he’s been great for us this season and I think there will be something out later today.
“If it’s not Matty then we’ll be looking to do a bit of work to bring someone in to replace him if that is the case.
“We’re constantly looking at it, we need to be prepared. If that doesn’t happen we need to be prepared to act on that, and we will be.”
On Danzaki, Hammell added: “We’re speaking to a lot of players and there are some who are further down the line than others, but until we can actually confirm, it’s not right for me to speak about players that are attached to other teams.
“Until that time it’s very difficult for me to make comment on that.”
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