Coughlan: Newport County don't need busy January transfer window

The Exiles sit 20th in League Two, six points above the relegation zone, after digging deep while without a glut of players.

Centre-back James Clarke and striker Seb Palmer-Houlden this week came off a long-term injury list that still features defenders Kyle Jameson, Declan Drysdale, Josh Seberry, Adam Lewis, Harry Charsley and Offrande Zanzala.

County head to promotion-chasing Mansfield tomorrow without defender Matt Baker because of Wales Under-21s duty and also look set to be without midfielder Aaron Wildig and young forwards Kiban Rai and Olly Thomas because of niggles.

The club hope that Huw Jenkins’ takeover will be complete by the time the January window opens and that should give Coughlan more spending power.

However, the manager insists that major changes won’t be needed to avoid a relegation scrap as long as the treatment room has emptied.

Newport County boss Graham Coughlan (Image: Huw Evans Agency)

“We have players that we would like to sit down and speak to,” said Coughlan. “I spoke to one or two lads on Thursday when I was at the Wales Under-21s game at Rodney Parade.

“There are a lot of good players out there but they have to be right and fit into our ethos and changing room.

“You then need to talk about whether clubs will let them go, so there are all sorts of scenarios.

“We do have a couple of players that we have in mind and would like to speak to but, and I said this last year, I don’t envisage loads of players coming through the door.

“I don’t think we need that because we have got good numbers, it’s just that at this moment in time we’ve had a little bit of an injury patch that is not healthy.

“We would like to bring in one or two in January, as would every club. Whether we can, who knows, but I am really happy with the group that we have got and will get everything out of them.”

Wildig, Rai and Thomas are doubts for Mansfield but should be in the mix for leaders Stockport at Rodney Parade a week on Saturday if they don’t get the green light for Field Mill.

Drysdale and Zanzala are likely to be out until the New Year while Seberry is a longer term blow after suffering a broken fibula at Notts County last month.

CLOSE: Harry Charsley is targeting a December return (Image: Huw Evans Agency)

However, a trio of senior players could soon be bolstering Coughlan’s matchday squad in time for the hectic festive period.

“Harry Charsley might be in the first week of December then in mid-December you are looking at Adam Lewis and Kyle Jameson,” said the manager.

“Then the problem will be getting match minutes into them, we will have to give that to them in games and that is difficult to manage.”

That is the situation that centre-back Clarke and striker Palmer-Houlden are currently in after they returned as substitutes in the EFL Trophy tie with Bristol Rovers on Tuesday after groin and hamstring injuries respectively.

“They can’t contribute in the same way that the rest of the lads can,” said Coughlan ahead of Mansfield.

“We will have to give them some minutes on the run, week by week. It’s not a case of chucking them straight back in.”