Derek McInnes admits this summer’s Kilmarnock rebuild is occupying his every waking thought.
But the Rugby Park boss is also adamant he’s not losing sleep over the fact his squad is still five players short of where he wants it. McInnes has so far added Alan Power, Kerr McInroy, Lewis Mayo and Liam Donnelly to his Championship -winning group, with Middlesbrough keeper Zach Hemming back for another year on loan.
But he’s refusing to panic about the fact he reckons his team is still short on the quality required to survive on their return to the top flight. McInnes said: “Last thing at night, first thing in the morning, you think about it. You know what you’ve still got to do. But I’ve got to take myself back to when I first came into the club. At that point, it was about where we wanted to be and that was the Premiership. We’re there now and we’ve got to try and enjoy it.
"We have to try and enjoy the work we’re trying to do. If I was told, in January when I came in, that I’d have Kyle Lafferty, Ash Taylor, Liam Donnelly and Alan Power – boys who were familiar to me – then I’d feel good about that.
“It makes us better, so while you still see what you’ve got to do, it’s also important to remember what you’ve done. I certainly don’t think there’s any panic.
“That’s not to say things aren’t pressing – we have work to do and we’ve got to try to get on with it. Any player I sign between now and the window closing would be to try and get into the starting XI, giving us extra quality in the side.
“I am delighted with the players we have but I still feel this window in particular is about the here and now. We are still playing catch-up from being a Championship team but it’s nothing we can’t overcome, we will put a squad together to be competitive.”
McInnes is having to do most of the grunt work himself when it comes to recruitment after the club announced a parting of the ways with head of football operations James Fowler. The former captain has taken “voluntary redundancy” as part of a restructuring of the club’s behind-the-scenes operation.
But McInnes hopes Killie owner Billy Bowie can find another way to give him the help he needs to sniff out talent for his squad.
The former Aberdeen manager said: “I was absolutely happy working with someone in that role, I think it’s becoming the norm. Every manager needs that support from within the club, it’s becoming more and more critical that clubs get that right.
“For any manager that level of support is important, no matter the role. I feel as if I’ve had that here, I’ve got good communication with the board, they know my intentions and I know theirs. We just want the club to be the biggest animal we can be.”
A move for former Rugby Park favourite Jordan Jones has been rumoured. McInnes wouldn’t bite on that hook but admits he is looking to reel in someone with similar attributes to the Northern Ireland star.
He said: “There’s nothing I can specifically say about that. What we are looking for is players with speed, ball carriers, people who can be a bit more creative.
“We’ve had numerous conversations with a lot of players and clubs. It’s not easy to get players at any time but we’ve made a case and showed players that we are a good club. As weeks go on players who maybe didn’t think Killie was an option may just change their mind.”
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